After announcing yet another delay, Ubisoft appears to have released the first DLC for Assassin’s Creed Shadows, which is set in Japan.
Insider Gaming has reported that the game’s Steam page was temporarily altered to feature details on Claws of Awaji, a 10-hour downloadable DLC that will give the open-world game a completely new map.
“Pre-purchase now to get a bonus mission and the upcoming Claws of Awaji expansion,” the Steam page stated. “Travel to a new region, get over 10 hours of additional content, and unlock a new weapon type, new skills, gear, and abilities.”
Similar to the previously revealed “bonus mission” Thrown to the Dogs, the wording is a little unclear because it suggests that Claws of Awaji will only be accessible to those who pre-purchase the game. However, since significant additions like these are often only available with Season Passes, this would be exceptional.
Nevertheless, after significant practice changes in response to Star Wars Outlaws’ poor performance, Ubisoft is abandoning the Season Pass approach for Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Ubisoft is also abandoning plans to charge players more to play on launch day, as well as discontinuing the Season Pass, which normally grants access to two larger expansions for an extra $30 or more. As a result, it is anticipated that DLC additions like Claws of Awaji will be available to all gamers for free.
Despite being limited to a single paragraph posted on Steam, the title Claws of Awaji provides some insight into what players might expect from the DLC. In the Collector’s Edition video, Ubisoft subtly unveiled the world map of Assassin’s Creed Shadows, which had nine intricate areas and one little island that was left empty.
This island is the Awaji that the title of Claws of Awaji most likely alludes to, therefore DLC should eventually fill in this blank section of the map. Perhaps the most well-known aspect of Awaji Island is its prominence in Shinto, a religion practiced in Japan. According to the mythology of Izanagi and Izanami, it is the first island ever formed.
With the addition of the Claws of Awaji, players may be able to explore Japanese tales as Assassin’s Creed has expanded its focus beyond history to include mythology in recent releases, particularly in the role-playing game series to which Shadows belongs.