• Source:JND
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Ubisoft has unveiled its first major story expansion for Assassin’s Creed Shadows, titled Claws of Awaji, set to launch on September 16. This expansion offers over ten hours of brand-new content, including a new region beyond Osaka Bay, fresh enemies, quests, and story developments centred around Naoe and Yasuke.

On the enigmatic Island of Awaji, the duo searches for lost treasure while confronting a ruthless new faction named Sanzoku Ippa, known for their relentless ambushes. Alongside the narrative, players can look forward to new weapons, legendary gear, and combat abilities. The expansion will unlock for those who pre-ordered the game after completing the main story and will be available for purchase starting on release day for others.

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What's Coming Before the Expansion

Ubisoft has also outlined two free updates to be rolled out before the expansion:

Progression Update—July 29

This update introduces the highly requested New Game+ mode, which allows players to restart the game while keeping their character level, acquired gear, skill points, knowledge rank, and hideout progress intact. It also raises the level cap from 60 to 80, adds new Knowledge and Mastery Skill ranks, expands hideout upgrade options, and introduces new achievements, trophies, and Animus-themed rewards.

 

Quality-of-Life Update – Early September
This patch adds features to improve gameplay experience: fast-forwarding through time-of-day, automatically unfogging the world map upon viewpoint synchronisation, further hideout and Forge upgrades, and uncapped frame rates for cutscenes on PC, in addition to general bug fixes.

Player Milestone & Future Platforms

Assassin’s Creed Shadows has crossed five million players globally. Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot also hinted that “new versions” of the game are in development for “other machines,” suggesting a possible release on the Nintendo Switch 2.

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According to the company, the game has “delivered on its expectations.” While specific unit sales were not disclosed, third-party data ranks Shadows among the top three best-selling PS5 titles of 2025, with over two million units sold. Additional estimates point to around 650,000 units sold on Steam and 1.1 million players on Xbox, including Ubisoft+ subscribers. The game's production budget reportedly exceeded €100 million, and while it has likely broken even, substantial profits have yet to be confirmed.