Katarzyna Petru
Ubisoft Quebec is once again leading the way. In a recent interview with GamesRadar, Simon Lemay-Comtois — one of the directors of Assassin’s Creed Shadows — did not hide his pride in the studio's work. And it's hard to blame him. According to the developer, it has been nine months since the release, and the team is still genuinely surprised at how well the game performs visually compared to the competition.
Graphic design? "We are hard to beat"
Lemay-Comtois claims that Shadows presents such a level of graphics that the studio… has surprised itself. Particularly on the PS5 Pro, where the game is set to look the best in the series' history. The developer emphasized that this is the result of years of investment in technology and the team’s experience, which allows them to extract significantly more from their proprietary tools than other major players in the market demonstrate.
Ubisoft Quebec believes that it has set a visual benchmark that will not be easy to surpass. And most interestingly — this is just the foundation for future installments.
Two protagonists? A perfect hit and the future direction of the series
The second important point of discussion was the concept of the two protagonists — Naoe and Yasuke. Ubisoft knew from the outset that the contrast between the characters had to be clear, even extreme. Ninja versus samurai. Shadow versus steel. Subtlety versus brute force.
And although the studio is aware that a dual hero system can be controversial, it considers it one of the most important and valuable solutions in Shadows. Divided opinions emerged with Syndicate — it’s similar here, only more intense. But according to Lemay-Comtois, it's a price worth paying for freshness and artistic courage. Moreover — Ubisoft does not intend to abandon this idea. If the next installment again justifies the existence of two protagonists, the studio will very gladly repeat it.
Movement system, animations and combat. Shadows sets a new standard
However, the most interesting thing is that the work on two such diverse characters forced serious improvements to the internal systems of the game. Lemay-Comtois revealed that it is indeed Shadows that has become the foundation of the technology that will be developed in future installments of the series. In particular:
animations — smoother, more flexible, better suited to the character's physics,
movement dynamics — from light jumps and acrobatics of Naoe to heavy, mass-driven strikes of Yasuke,
sneaking and combat system — designed so that both characters provide radically different experiences.
Ubisoft is particularly proud of Naoe's movements, described as "ninja-inspired acrobatics," which — according to the developer — could serve as inspiration for future protagonists of the brand.
Divided players, conscious decision
The creators openly admit that the contrast between Naoe and Yasuke has led to highly polarised opinions among fans. Some love the quiet, nuanced gameplay. Others prefer the brutal, heavy samurai style. Ubisoft not only does not care about this but sees it as proof that the artistic decision was bold and well-made. The developers are convinced that this diversity gives Shadows a unique identity, allowing the Assassin’s Creed series to explore more varied narrative and gameplay realms.
