Ubisoft just broke a decade-long tradition. For the first time since 2017, an Assassin’s Creed game will not receive two major expansions. Associate game director Simon Lemay-Comtois confirmed in an interview with JorRaptor that Assassin’s Creed Shadows will only get one expansion, the already-released Claws of Awaji, despite fans expecting a second DLC of similar scale.
The announcement marks a significant shift for the franchise. Every major Assassin’s Creed title from Origins through Valhalla received two substantial story expansions that extended the game’s narrative and gave players new regions to explore. Shadows is the first game in eight years to break that pattern, and the reasons behind this decision paint a concerning picture of the game’s troubled development.
What Happened to the Season Pass
Assassin’s Creed Shadows was originally supposed to launch in November 2024 with a traditional season pass that included two major expansions. Claws of Awaji was described as the first expansion when Ubisoft revealed the game’s post-launch plans. Players who bought premium editions expected a second expansion to follow months later, just like Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla delivered.
Then everything changed. Ubisoft delayed Shadows from November 2024 to February 2025 following significant backlash to the game’s marketing and the inclusion of historical figure Yasuke as a playable protagonist. As an apology for the delay, the company scrapped the season pass entirely and announced they would give Claws of Awaji to all pre-order customers for free.
That decision seemed generous at the time, but it left one question unanswered. What about the second expansion? Fans assumed Ubisoft would still produce it and sell it separately or include it in a future pass. According to Lemay-Comtois, that’s not happening.
The Technical Explanation
Lemay-Comtois provided several reasons for why Shadows won’t get a second major expansion. The most straightforward explanation relates to technology. Shadows represents a significant generational leap for the series, running on updated engine technology that required substantial development time and resources to implement properly.
He explained the challenges:
- Engine work consumed more time and resources than anticipated
- Post-launch planning couldn’t solidify as quickly as on games with stable, known technology
- The team started work on Shadows expansion plans relatively late in development
- Production delays and the pushed release date forced the team to adapt their content roadmap
- Resources were redirected to address immediate issues and community feedback
The associate director described it as fighting fires. When the game’s pre-release reception turned negative and Ubisoft had to delay the launch, priorities shifted dramatically. Instead of having a clear runway to develop two expansions while the base game was stable, the team had to dedicate resources to implementing fan-requested features and addressing concerns raised during the controversy.
The Reactive Approach
Lemay-Comtois revealed that Ubisoft is trying a different strategy with Shadows compared to previous Assassin’s Creed games. Rather than planning large expansions years in advance, the team wants to stay small and reactive. They’re keeping their ear to the ground, monitoring community feedback, and responding with content based on what players actually want after experiencing the base game.
He framed it as an experiment. Whether this approach is the right way forward or just a learning experience, the results will inform how Ubisoft handles post-launch content for future projects. Instead of two massive expansions that take months to develop, Shadows might receive smaller, more frequent updates that address specific player requests.
The recently released Attack on Titan crossover exemplifies this new direction. It’s a smaller piece of DLC that adds cosmetic content and a brief mission rather than a 10-hour story expansion with new regions. Future Shadows content will likely follow this pattern rather than the Awaji model.
Historical Context Makes This Shocking
To understand why this news caught fans off guard, you need to look at Ubisoft’s track record. The publisher established a clear pattern with modern Assassin’s Creed games that made two expansions the standard expectation.
| Game | Release Year | Expansions |
|---|---|---|
| Assassin’s Creed Origins | 2017 | The Hidden Ones and The Curse of the Pharaohs |
| Assassin’s Creed Odyssey | 2018 | Legacy of the First Blade and The Fate of Atlantis |
| Assassin’s Creed Valhalla | 2020 | Wrath of the Druids and The Siege of Paris |
| Assassin’s Creed Mirage | 2023 | One expansion (released years later) |
| Assassin’s Creed Shadows | 2025 | Claws of Awaji only |
Lemay-Comtois did point out that Ubisoft has changed plans before. Mirage launched without a season pass and was supposed to be a smaller, more focused experience. Yet the company recently announced a Saudi-funded DLC for Mirage that arrived two years after the base game launched. Similarly, Odyssey received crossover story content that connected to Valhalla well after its initial post-launch roadmap concluded.
So while there’s no second Shadows expansion planned right now, the door isn’t completely closed. If the game finds an audience and performs better than expected, or if a partnership opportunity arises like the Saudi project for Mirage, plans could change. But fans shouldn’t hold their breath waiting for it to happen.
What This Means For the Franchise
The decision to skip a second Shadows expansion signals that Ubisoft might be rethinking how it supports Assassin’s Creed games post-launch. The traditional model of two massive story expansions worked well for Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla, but those games didn’t face the development challenges and pre-release controversy that plagued Shadows.
Ubisoft has a lot of Assassin’s Creed projects in development right now. A Black Flag remake is reportedly in the works. Assassin’s Creed Hexe, set during witch trials, has been officially announced. A multiplayer spin-off is confirmed to be in development. With so many projects competing for resources and attention, dedicating a team to a second Shadows expansion might not make strategic sense when that team could work on the next game instead.
The bigger question is whether this reactive, smaller content approach will satisfy the Assassin’s Creed community. Players who bought Shadows expecting the same level of post-launch support as previous games might feel shortchanged even though they got Claws of Awaji for free. The expansion model gave players substantial new content to explore months after finishing the base game. Smaller, reactive updates might keep the game feeling fresh, but they won’t deliver those 10-plus hour narrative experiences that previous expansions offered.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will Assassin’s Creed Shadows get any more DLC?
Yes, but not on the scale of Claws of Awaji. Ubisoft plans to release smaller, more reactive content updates based on community feedback rather than large story expansions. The Attack on Titan crossover that launched in November 2025 represents the type of DLC players can expect going forward.
Why was the season pass cancelled?
Ubisoft cancelled the Shadows season pass when they delayed the game from November 2024 to February 2025. As an apology for the delay, they announced Claws of Awaji would be free for all pre-order customers instead of being part of a paid season pass.
How long is Claws of Awaji?
The expansion offers approximately 10 hours of gameplay. It released in September 2025, several months before the base game launched in February 2025, which was an unusual release strategy.
Could Ubisoft change their mind later?
It’s possible but unlikely. Associate game director Simon Lemay-Comtois mentioned that Ubisoft has changed plans in the past, citing Mirage getting DLC two years post-launch. However, he emphasized there are currently no plans for a second major Shadows expansion.
What previous Assassin’s Creed games had two expansions?
Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla all received two major story expansions. This established a pattern that fans expected to continue with Shadows until Ubisoft announced otherwise.
Is this because Shadows sold poorly?
The decision appears to be based on development challenges and the game’s troubled pre-release period rather than sales performance. Shadows was delayed to address controversy, and resources shifted to implementing fan-requested features instead of building a second expansion.
Will Assassin’s Creed Hexe have expansions?
Nothing has been announced about Hexe’s post-launch plans yet. The game is still in development with no release date confirmed. How Ubisoft handles Shadows’ reception and the lessons they learn from this reactive content approach will likely influence decisions about future games.
Can I still buy Claws of Awaji?
The expansion is free for anyone who pre-ordered Assassin’s Creed Shadows before the delay announcement. For players who bought the game after that point, Ubisoft hasn’t clearly communicated whether Claws of Awaji is available for separate purchase or included with all copies.
What is the Attack on Titan DLC?
Released on November 26, 2025, the Attack on Titan crossover brings cosmetic content and a brief mission inspired by the popular anime to Assassin’s Creed Shadows. It represents the smaller-scale DLC approach Ubisoft is taking with the game going forward.
The Bigger Picture
The cancellation of a second Assassin’s Creed Shadows expansion is more than just one missing DLC. It represents a turning point for how Ubisoft handles its most valuable franchise. The traditional model of big announcements, season passes, and planned expansions worked fine when development went smoothly. But Shadows proved that model falls apart when a game faces controversy and delays.
Ubisoft’s pivot to a reactive approach makes sense as a crisis management strategy. When your game’s reputation is damaged before launch, you can’t predict what players will want six months after release. Being flexible and responsive is smarter than stubbornly sticking to a content roadmap designed when circumstances were completely different. The problem is this approach also signals that Ubisoft didn’t have confidence in Shadows to deliver the kind of stable, successful launch that would support a traditional two-expansion model.
For fans who love deep, narrative-driven expansions that extend the main story and explore new regions, this is disappointing news. Those big DLC packages often rivaled the quality of the base game and gave players compelling reasons to return months after finishing the main campaign. Smaller, reactive updates might keep the live service engagement numbers healthy, but they won’t deliver those memorable 10-hour adventures that made previous post-launch content so valuable. Whether this experiment works or becomes another lesson learned, one thing is clear: Assassin’s Creed Shadows is already teaching Ubisoft that not every game fits the same post-launch mold, even within the same franchise.