Summary
- Claws of Awaji takes place after the events of Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ story.
- Awaji Island is going to be “spookier” than mainland Japan.
- Ubisoft has no concrete plans for additional expansions.
Claws of Awaji is a day-one expansion for Assassin’s Creed Shadows, available to those who pre-order the game. In a recent interview with Game Rant, game director Jonathan Dumont clarified that Claws of Awaji is a post-game expansion. Despite a “definite” ending for Shadows, Claws of Awaji is a “continuation” of Naoe and Yasuke’s story.
The expansion sees the pair travel to Awaji Island, a large strip of land in Japan’s Seto Inland Sea between Osaka and Tokushima, to dismantle an organised group of outlaws called the Sanzoku Ippa. According to Dumont, the vibe of Claws of Awaji will be noticeably darker than that of the main game.
Eerie Island
“It will be a different vibe, a bit spookier I would say,” Dumont says. “It is a continuation of our two protagonists’ adventure and storyline. The main game has a definite ending, but there is always more to explore, and Claws of Awaji takes place after the core events of the main game.” It doesn’t seem like you’ll be able to jump into Claws of Awaji at any point, with the premise likely hinging on something that happens in the main narrative.
According to Dumont, the Sanzoku Ippa are also wilier opponents than some of the enemies you encounter in mainland Japan: “The Sanzoku Ippa are well-ingrained on the goings-on of Awaji Island. They’re known to use tactics not too dissimilar to the players’ – including creative use of counter-intelligence measures.” Well, I for one certainly hope I won’t be guaranteed assassinated by a recruit while I ponder the pristine views of Awaji Island. Let’s assume the Sanzoku Ippa doesn’t have exactly the same capabilities as me.
Besides Claws of Awaji, Ubisoft doesn’t have any other concrete plans for expansions. Dumont says the post-launch plan is to “Listen to and support our community as best as we can, with quality-of-life updates, gameplay tweaks and additional options.” One of the post-launch options that Ubisoft is considering implementing is New Game+.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows launches on March 20 for Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5 and PC.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows
- Released
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March 20, 2025
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language