Assassin's Creed Shadows Producer: Four-Year Dev Time Is "Right Balance" For Series

Assassin's Creed Shadows has set a new record for the Ubisoft, as it has had the longest development cycle in the franchise so far. As Onnée explained, the four years of development was ideal for building the game, receiving feedback, and focusing on areas that needed work.

"We always want to go better, which is what we're trying to do with Shadows. We are pushing the limits of what we can do," Onnée said to Gamesindustry.Biz. "It's always a balance between time and costs, but the more time you have, the more you can iterate. Yes, you can put more people on a project and do it in a shorter time, but that doesn't give you more time to iterate, because it takes time to get the feedback from your players, your team, and then see what works and what doesn't and how to improve it. Four years, I think, is the right balance to go from conception to production and get the feedback necessary to adapt."

The previous mainline entry in the series, Assassin's Creed Valhalla, launched back in November 2020. Ubisoft did fill out the last couple of years with substantial expansions for Valhalla--Wrath of the Druids and Dawn of Ragnarok--and smaller spin-off games like Assassin's Creed Mirage.

Assassin's Creed Shadows Producer: Four-Year Dev Time Is "Right Balance" For Series

Assassin's Creed Shadows Producer: Four-Year Dev Time Is "Right Balance" For Series

Assassin's Creed Shadows Producer: Four-Year Dev Time Is "Right Balance" For Series

Assassin's Creed Shadows Producer: Four-Year Dev Time Is "Right Balance" For Series

Assassin's Creed Shadows Producer: Four-Year Dev Time Is "Right Balance" For Series