Assassin’s Creed Shadows Seemingly Features a Takedown Animation Cut From Assassin’s Creed 3

Ubisoft appears to have revived a takedown animation spotted in a 2012 Assassin’s Creed 3 demo for upcoming Japan-set Assassin’s Creed Shadows.

As reported by GamesRadar, Reddit user BrunoHM noticed similarities between the 2012 PAX East demo of Assassin’s Creed 3 and a recent trailer for Assassin’s Creed Shadows.

While taking down an enemy, the former’s protagonist Connor jumps on their back to stab them before doing a forward roll to continue his momentum. And what appears to be the exact same movement can be seen performed by Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ dual protagonist Naoe.

“Considering the pivot blade and dynamic seasons returning, I wonder if we have some fans of [Assassin’s Creed 3] within [Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ developer Ubisoft] Quebec,” BrunoHM wondered.

What makes the spot even more impressive is that the 2012 Pax East demo wasn’t actually released to the public, but instead a behind-the-scenes showing for press and other video game industry insiders. YouTube channel Kuriatsu obtained the footage, however, revealing it (and the animation) to the world.

The takedown didn’t make it into the final version of Assassin’s Creed 3, which was the first of several set in North America, so fans will perhaps forgive Ubisoft since it’s technically not reusing an animation from a past game. Even if it was, of course, it would almost certainly be recreated from the ground up given the 12 year gap between the two games.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows was fully revealed in May 2024 as a Japan-set entry where players take control of two protagonists: the stealthy shinobi Naoe and the action-orientated Yasuke, who’s a real figure from Japanese history.

IGN had a wealth of exclusive content on the reveal, and you can read about all the gameplay changes, story beats, and open-world assassinating coming with Shadows in our extensive interview with the development team.

If that’s not enough, check our analysis and explanation of where and when Shadows is set and 40 key details we’ve learned about the game. You can also watch our full breakdown of the cinematic trailer to discover all its hidden details, Easter eggs, and more.

Shadows launches November 12, 2024 for those buying the Gold, Ultimate, or Deluxe Editions, while the Standard Edition is available on November 15, 2024.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.