Ubisoft has revealed how they went about bringing Assassin’s Creed Shadows to the Switch 2.
A Real Technical Challenge
Project Lead Programmer Bruno said this about making this port happen:
Bringing Shadows to Switch™ 2 was one of the toughest but most rewarding challenges I have ever tackled.
We had to rethink almost everything, from the way the world is rendered to how systems interact, all while keeping the soul of the game intact.
While fans will surely appreciate the hard work Ubisoft put into this title, it also says something about potential AAA ports for the Switch 2 in the future. If the game companies don’t care or don’t invest in it, Nintendo fans may not get the best ports they can.
Passing On Ray Tracing This Time
While Star Wars Outlaws used the Switch 2’s ability for ray tracing, the Assassin’s Creed team chose to use their own Global Illumination system. They also explained this is the same system they use for Xbox Series S and low spec PCs.
Here’s Where They Made Compromises
Much like with Street Fighter 6, Ubisoft chose to lower NPC counts for Assassin’s Creed Shadows. They also struck a balance so that it could present the best balance between quality and performance.
What this means is the game should largely look the same, but if you look for it, you will find where details were reduced.
Optimizing 30 FPS with DLSS and VRR
The team chose to stick to a consistent 30 FPS, across both docked and handheld modes. Of course, they leaned on Nvidia’s DLSS to carry the Switch 2’s performance.
On top of that, they used HDR and especially VRR to make the game shine on handheld mode. Ubisoft actually made their own algorithm to get VRR to work beyond its 40 FPS limit.
What this means is, instead of using VRR at 40 FPS and compromising on detail, Assassin’s Creed Shadows gets VRR, and all the graphic effects, at a consistent 30 FPS.
The Full Sales Proposition For Assassin’s Creed Shadows On Switch 2
Assassin’s Creed Shadows launches on Switch 2 with all of the content and updates save The Claws of Awaji DLC. That will be arriving to the console sometime in 2026.
Some fans may not be fully satisfied with the compromises that Ubisoft made, but Ubisoft has one more ace in their sleeve. Just like Star Wars Outlaws, this game offers cross-progression via Ubisoft accounts.
So, if you already own this game, you can use the Switch 2 version as your portable version. For the gamers who became real fans of Assassin’s Creed Shadows, that double dip might be worth it.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows is coming to the Switch 2 in December 2, 2025.
