Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed Shadows Battle Pass is a Full Cash Grab!

Leaks Suggest Ubisoft's 'Assassin’s Creed Shadows' Will Feature a Battle Pass
Is Ubisoft about to introduce a Battle Pass system into the beloved Assassin’s Creed series? Recent leaks strongly suggest so. According to data-mined content and leaked images, the upcoming Assassin’s Creed Shadows may include a 20-tier Battle Pass, allowing players to earn cosmetic gear through daily missions and collect in-game currency called Isu Coins.

However, Ubisoft is staying silent on the matter, neither confirming nor denying the leaks. The developer has been aggressively taking down the leaked images, issuing copyright strikes to creators sharing them ahead of the game’s February release.

Leaked details suggest that the Battle Pass will include daily missions within the Animus Hub and potential collaborations with brands like Bathing Ape and Visa. While Ubisoft claims Shadows will break away from previous Assassin’s Creed titles, fans are skeptical about whether a live-service model is the right step forward. Critics fear it could turn into yet another grind-heavy time sink, much like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, and detract from the franchise’s core identity.

Ubisoft has already faced backlash over Assassin’s Creed Shadows for centering the game’s story on Yasuke, a black samurai whose historical existence remains widely debated. Many fans had hoped for a more traditional Japanese protagonist fitting the historical setting.

This would mark the first time Ubisoft has made a historical figure a playable character, a decision met with criticism from both Japanese and Western audiences who accuse the studio of prioritizing political agendas over authenticity.

Ubisoft is no stranger to pushing monetization aggressively. In Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, players encountered artificially inflated difficulty spikes that encouraged purchasing premium XP boosters to bypass grind-heavy progression.

If the leaked Battle Pass details prove accurate, Assassin’s Creed Shadows could open the floodgates for even more pay-to-win mechanics, squeezing players for every dollar.

Fans are understandably wary. Shaun Cichacki of Vice lamented, “Ubisoft keeps saying this game will be different, but it’s starting to feel like the same old cash grab, dressed up in pretty graphics. Live-service gaming isn’t on my radar, and this just feels like another step backward for the franchise.”

Ubisoft’s attempt to combine a live-service model with the historic charm of Assassin’s Creed may alienate longtime fans while failing to attract new ones. Whether the franchise can survive this shift—or if it’s heading further into monetization overdrive—remains to be seen.