French video game publisher Ubisoft's second delay to the next instalment of its flagship "Assassin's Creed" series forced it to lower financial forecasts, but the step is not uncommon in a sector where players' first impressions weigh heavy.

"Assassin's Creed Shadows" had initially been slated for a November 15, 2024 release, but the new episode has now been pushed back to March 20 after an initial delay to February 14.

The change means the game will drop just a few days before the end of Ubisoft's financial year.

"While an extra month might not seem like much, it will allow our teams to better incorporate the player feedback we gathered over the last three months," chief executive Yves Guillemot said Thursday.

He added that journalists and content creators would be allowed to test "Shadows" from this week and talk to the development team.

Some have seen the delay as Ubisoft fending off a repeat of last August's "Star Wars: Outlaws" release, which was plagued by bugs that helped hobble the title's sales.

Early in-game footage of "Shadows" had sparked concern among some gamers about the quality of........

© International Business Times