Ubisoft Confirms Assassin's Creed Shadows Won't Get 2nd Expansion

In a move that breaks a decade-long tradition for the franchise, Ubisoft has officially confirmed that Assassin's Creed Shadows will not receive a second major expansion. Despite reports of exceptional commercial performance and high player engagement, the publisher has significantly altered the game’s post-launch roadmap. 

This confirmation ends months of community speculation, cementing the previously released Claws of Awaji DLC as the title’s only large-scale narrative addition.

The news was announced by Associate Game Director Simon Lemay-Comtois during an interview with content creator JorRaptor. The director stated that no expansion matching the scale of Awaji is planned for the game’s second year. Instead of the traditional "Season Pass" model—which usually guarantees at least two massive story add-ons—the team is pivoting to a different content strategy. 

According to Lemay-Comtois, this shift is largely attributed to the complex development cycle, technical challenges, and possibly the immense resources required to upgrade the game engine to AnvilNext 2.0. This "big jump in generations" reportedly consumed time and budget that was originally intended for further post-launch expansions.

Strong Commercial Performance

This cancellation comes as a surprise, given the game's robust market performance following its delayed launch in March 2025. Data indicates that Assassin's Creed Shadows was the top-selling new game in Europe through July 2025, outpacing other major releases in the region. On Steam alone, the title generated an estimated $82.9 million in gross revenue, resulting in a net revenue of approximately $24.4 million after platform fees and refunds. 

By the middle of 2025, Ubisoft noted that the game had surpassed five million players. Initial sales were equally strong, moving about 2 million players within its first two days and achieving an all-time concurrent peak of 64,825 on Steam.

Despite the financial success, the critical reception of the first expansion and the frantic pace of the first year may have influenced the change in strategy. Claws of Awaji, a 10-hour add-on released in September, was bundled with pre-orders after the original Season Pass was scrapped, but it received mostly negative reviews. 

However, general player engagement with the base game remained high, with Ubisoft sharing community statistics such as two billion stealth kills and 38 million animals petted.

Looking ahead, Ubisoft aims to support Shadows with what they describe as "chunkier" updates rather than massive paid DLCs. Lemay-Comtois highlighted lessons learnt from Year One, noting that the team wants to avoid "putting out fires" and instead focus on meaningful updates that "shake things up". 

While fans have pointed out that Assassin's Creed Mirage eventually received a late expansion due to demand—funded by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund—no similar reversal is expected for Shadows at this time. Ubisoft appears content with the game's current state, opting for substantial updates rather than a second expansion for the upcoming year.