Assassin's Creed Shadows Devs Talk About Level Design, Accuracy, and Development Challenges

Assassin’s Creed Shadows comes at a critical point for Ubisoft. Delayed twice, the development team has marked a release date and is full steam ahead with the finishing touches before launching it to the public.

Ahead of its launch on March 20, we got the chance to talk to Level Design Director Luc Plante and Ubisoft Singapore Associate Producer Cassandra Poon to shed some light on the development of Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Luc’s previous work covered multiple Ubisoft brands like Rainbow Six, Far Cry, and Assassin’s Creed. At the same time, Cassandra has extensive experience in PC MMORPGs, mobile city simulations, and naval combat games.

*Interview has been edited for clarity.

Related – Read our Assassin’s Creed Shadows Hands-on Preview

Q: How do you balance historical accuracy with creative freedom in the level design of Assassin’s Creed Shadows, and can you share an example where this balance led to a particularly memorable in-game location?

Luc Plante (LP): Like any Assassin’s Creed game, we start by looking at actual historical footprints of all those locations, and then, we build them taking into account all the constraints of the game. For example, a door frame size is not the same as that in the game as in a real-life one. So we need to make small compromises here and there to make sure that the games flow better, that the parkour is fluid, that we make sure that we accommodate for all of these.

It’s key for us that when you go into those iconic locations, and if these locations still exist today, you feel that if you go there in real life, you recognize the area and environment. For us, the job is done when people say it’s really like in Japan or it’s really like this building.

A small crew went to scout the location to take pictures and bring that knowledge back to the team. We have a lot of historical data, but we also appreciate the scale of things. One thing that strikes us is seeing mountains in Japan. There’s a flatland, and then suddenly, there’s a mountain that pops up, and to recreate the same feeling, it was eye-opening for us to go that and see all those details. It was really important for us to make the overall game believable.

Because Japan is such a requested location, there’s pressure, but there’s also positive motivation. Since we are fans of both the franchise and the country, it was important for us to do good.

Q: What were some of the most significant production challenges you faced during the development of Assassin’s Creed Shadows, especially since there was a recent delay, and how did your team overcome them to ensure a quality release?

Cassandra Poon (CP): In every project, there’s always a phase where we decide to focus on closing a certain chapter and then we go into a review – what are our must-haves, what needs to be done, and then we move ahead to the next stage. Delays mean more time given, but in an interesting way, so I think it empowers us to actually put more polish in the game. You may hear about two different delays, but for us, this is an opportunity to keep polishing and keep pushing things to reach a better quality in terms of balance and visual fidelity… these are things that we love to keep pushing because we want a good experience for everyone.

With every opportunity given to the team, we review our list and see what else we need to push.

Q: Can you describe the process of integrating new gameplay mechanics into the existing Assassin’s Creed framework, and how do you ensure these mechanics enhance the player’s immersion and engagement in Assassin’s Creed Shadows?

LP: We have a special opportunity to have been working on this franchise for over 15 years, so there’s a legacy of learning and player experience. Since Origins, we have focused more on the open-world RPG, and it continuously evolves. Now, with Assassin’s Creed Shadows, we’re trying to enter what we call the ultimate Assassin’s Creed experience, and that means pushing even further all the dynamism of the world and making sure it’s as immersive as possible.

If there’s heavy rain, the NPC will hide underneath a rooftop to avoid being soaked. If it’s winter, it’s cold, and they will gather around fireplaces. We want to create a more immersive world than ever before and ensure that we keep those pillars that have been there from the start while adding new twists and improvements to them.

Q: Can you share an example of a level design element in Assassin’s Creed Shadows that was particularly difficult to implement and how you integrated it seamlessly into the game?

LP: Like any Assassin’s Creed game, we take a 360-degree approach. Now, we are adding new tools to the mix, like a grappling hook, which allows for more verticality, and Yasuke’s ability to breach doors, which allows for more “horizontality,” if that could be a word.

What really stood out in this particular setting and time period from all the other Assassin’s Creed games is a simple thing that changed the game a lot—the paper wall doors. Since we were going with more immersiveness and a more dynamic world with a lot of destruction, it was key for us to make sure that those doors could be sliced through, which created an opportunity for combat spaces to dynamically change. If you want to go back to your stealth loop, you now need to reassess the environment because if you were hidden before because of the doors, now you aren’t, and you need to change and redo your tactics.