Assassin's Creed Shadows boxed copies still require internet connection to first play
Online needed for installation, as with Avatar and Star Wars Outlaws.
UPDATE 2.15pm UK: Ubisoft has now acknowledged the need to connect online to first install Assassin's Creed Shadows in a statement posted to its social media account on X, though has reiterated that the full game itself is, after being installed, playable entirely offline.
"We wanted to share some early information on the upcoming launch of Assassin's Creed Shadows, following some questions we've noticed in the community," Ubisoft wrote. "Assassin's Creed Shadows will not require a mandatory connection at all times. An online connection will be needed to install the game, but you will be able to play the entire journey offline, and explore Japan without any online connection."
ORIGINAL STORY 10.50am UK: Assassin's Creed Shadows is the latest Ubisoft blockbuster to warn players they'll need an online connection when first installing the game - despite the fact it is otherwise an offline title.
Shadows follows in the footsteps of last year's Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora and the upcoming Star Wars Outlaws in requiring an internet connection to first play physical copies of the game.
All three titles include a warning note on the front of their box, visible by retailers such as Best Buy: "Internet required to install the game."
While this is likely due to the need to install a mandatory day one update for the game, it's still unclear to what extent Shadows will also rely on Ubisoft's mysterious new Assassin's Creed Infinity hub/launcher/thing, which will launch alongside the game and act as a central home to the franchise going forward.
Shadows does not feature any online play, and indeed it has now been a decade since the last major Assassin's Creed title to feature any form of multiplayer (2014's Paris-set Unity, which featured campaign co-op).
There are also the usual concerns around servers eventually being switched off, and the longevity of online games in general (Ubisoft has now completely deleted online racer The Crew after taking its servers offline), though its difficult to see Shadows getting pulled any point in the forseeable future.
Ubisoft debuted its first cinematic trailer for Assassin's Creed Shadows yesterday, which introduced the game's dual protagonists - a shinobi and a samurai - who ultimately team up and offer two distinct playstyles.
Shadows is set in 16th century feudal Japan, and is developed primarily by the Assassin's Creed Odyssey team at Ubisoft Quebec, assisted by no less than 15 support studios, including teams in Osaka and Tokyo.
Yesterday also brought news of the Assassin's Creed Shadows collector's editions, which include the game's season pass for two DLC expansions and an exclusive quest.