Ubisoft used to seem like an unstoppable juggernaut in video games, barreling seemingly unchallenged from one wild success to the next. Innovations in open-world game design and the pursuit of relentless fun have stagnated into formulaic reiterations driven by shareholder decisions and faceless committees, though; that once unshakeable momentum has been withered by constant disappointments and persistent fatigue.
I myself have lost hope in Ubisoft over the years, and I'm not alone. An aversion to risk taking, haphazard attempts to inject "live service" elements where they don't belong, a growing reputation for broken launches and buggy games, and a tendency to abandon the few actually amazing projects (like Immortals Fenyx Rising and Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown) have toppled Ubisoft from its throne. For many, the ailing French games publisher has one more chance at redemption: Assassin's Creed Shadows.
