Skip to main content
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
    • Game Insights
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
    • Genres
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
    • Franchises
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • Insights
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
    • Computing
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
    • Accessories & Tech
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
  • home
  • Games
    • View Games
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • View Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • View Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • View TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • View Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • View Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • View Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • View Hardware
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • View Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • View Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
Trending
  • Pokemon Winds and Waves
  • New Games for 2026
  • GamesRadar+ Replay
  • Mario Day deals
Don't miss these
A screenshot of the title card for the upcoming game Assassin's Creed Codename Hexe.
Assassin's Creed Assassin’s Creed Hexe will be a "darker" installment "set during a pivotal moment in history"
Assassin's Creed Shadows cinematic screenshot
Assassin's Creed Best Assassin's Creed games, ranked from worst to best
Assassin's Creed Codename Hexe
Assassin's Creed Assassin's Creed Hexe: Everything you need to know about the new flagship AC game
Assassin's Creed Codename Hexe
Action RPGs Upcoming Assassin's Creed games: Every new Assassin's Creed game in development
Black Flag Resynced
Assassin's Creed Assassin's Creed: Black Flag remake finally out in the open as Ubisoft acknowledges its worst-kept secret
Assassin's Creed games in order: All of the current Assassin's Creed protagonists on a misty white background.
Assassin's Creed How to play the Assassin's Creed games in order: chronological and release date
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Gustave winces
RPGs Clair Obscur Expedition 33 lead "underestimated" the popularity of side content, leading to his one regret with the RPG
Assassin's Creed Shadows cinematic screenshot
Assassin's Creed Assassin's Creed Shadows to enter "final phase of support," and PvP multiplayer game Invictus is "progressing steadily"
Assassin's Creed games in order: All of the current Assassin's Creed protagonists on a misty white background.
Games Former Ubisoft vet says Assassin's Creed developer is "hated" by "many of their own" devs, but there's still hope for it
Dispatch screenshots
Adventure Games Dispatch season 2 isn't even confirmed, but I'm wondering how it could handle the battle of the best girl
Key art for Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy with Sophia standing in front of a labyrinth-style mural with a curved sword, with the GamesRadar+ Big in 2026 brand frame
Action Games Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy "changes almost everything" about the series – and its "more trained, more physical, more offensive" protagonist proves it
Fenris in Dragon Age 2.
Dragon Age Dragon Age 2 lead says "if some people are ambivalent" about the RPG's characters, "I guess I didn't really do my job"
Clair Obscure Expedition 33
RPGs Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 lead says the secret of the J'RPG's success is to "not care too much about the players"
Assassin's Creed Shadows cinematic screenshot
Assassin's Creed I loved Assassin's Creed Shadows but I wish I knew how overwhelmingly huge it was before starting
Macduff running from a monster during the upcoming PS5 game, Crimson Desert.
Open World Games Crimson Desert impresses some RPG fans with dialogue fast-forward feature, but leaves others asking "why" it's a thing
  1. Games
  2. Action Games
  3. Assassin's Creed

Assassin's Creed Shadows devs added a Canon Mode removing RPG choices after Odyssey fans "expressed their disappointment" over not having a "definitive" story

News
By Kaan Serin published 5 March 2025

Ubisoft now has a "reference story within the franchise"

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Assassin's Creed Shadows cinematic screenshot
(Image credit: Ubisoft)
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
0
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Get the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


Want to add more newsletters?

GamesRadar+

Every Friday

GamesRadar+

Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.

GTA 6 O'clock

Every Thursday

GTA 6 O'clock

Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.

Knowledge

Every Friday

Knowledge

From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.

The Setup

Every Thursday

The Setup

Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.

Switch 2 Spotlight

Every Wednesday

Switch 2 Spotlight

Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.

The Watchlist

Every Saturday

The Watchlist

Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.

SFX

Once a month

SFX

Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
Subscribe to our newsletter

Assassin's Creed Shadows is aiming to give series lovers the best of both worlds with Canon Mode – a setting that removes choices and dialogue options for those who don't want any RPGness in their AssCreed stories – but it was only added because some fans "expressed their disappointment" about RPG mechanics loud and clear.

Assassin's Creed first started stomping down the RPG route with Origins, and then the franchise really doubled down on the genre with Odyssey's dialogue options and many, many romantic partners before carrying on the trend in Valhalla. While the changes courted new fans, some oldheads who loved the series for what it was – a straightforward stealth sandbox – were somewhat left behind.

"When we introduced a choice of characters and dialogue choices in AC Odyssey, many of our fans loved the idea, but some expressed their disappointment in not having a definitive and canon narrative for the game that could be embedded in the AC lore meta story," creative director Jonathan Dumont tells GameRant. He continues to say that Canon Mode was created after the team spoke with fans and ultimately decided to create a "reference story within the franchise," which probably makes tie-in multimedia projects and potential sequels simpler to handle.

You may like
  • Assassin's Creed Shadows Assassin's Creed Shadows' Yasuke and Naoe could influence how future protagonists in Ubisoft's open-world games move
  • Assassin's Creed Shadows cinematic screenshot As Assassin's Creed Shadows nears its first anniversary, Ubisoft brings back a series favorite feature – a manual jump
  • Exodus Mass Effect veteran says new RPG Exodus won't be a game where "you can just romance anyone because you're the hero"

"This way players can enjoy the more RPG style of narrative or a more linear one, if they prefer," Dumont says.

Thankfully for those of us who play the series' pseudo-roleplaying games as a dating/hookup sim, Canon Mode won't interfere with romance options. You'll still be able to choose who Naoe and Yasuke flirt with, for "either for a short, sweet time or longer term." Associate narrative director Brooke Davies reiterated that "none of our love stories is canon, so players can choose for themselves who – or who not – to pursue."

Assassin's Creed's Kassandra stole the show in Odyssey, popped up in Valhalla, and she's still "very much alive" during AC Shadows

Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
CATEGORIES
Xbox Series X PS5 PC Gaming Platforms Xbox PlayStation
Kaan Serin
Kaan Serin
Social Links Navigation
Freelance contributor

Kaan freelances for various websites including Rock Paper Shotgun, Eurogamer, and this one, Gamesradar. He particularly enjoys writing about spooky indies, throwback RPGs, and anything that's vaguely silly. Also has an English Literature and Film Studies degree that he'll soon forget.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

Read more
Assassin's Creed Shadows
Assassin's Creed Shadows' Yasuke and Naoe could influence how future protagonists in Ubisoft's open-world games move
 
 
Assassin's Creed Shadows cinematic screenshot
As Assassin's Creed Shadows nears its first anniversary, Ubisoft brings back a series favorite feature – a manual jump
 
 
Exodus
Mass Effect veteran says new RPG Exodus won't be a game where "you can just romance anyone because you're the hero"
 
 
Assassin's Creed Shadows cinematic screenshot
Best Assassin's Creed games, ranked from worst to best
 
 
Macduff running from a monster during the upcoming PS5 game, Crimson Desert.
Crimson Desert impresses some RPG fans with dialogue fast-forward feature, but leaves others asking "why" it's a thing
 
 
Assassin's Creed Shadows cinematic screenshot
Assassin's Creed Shadows to enter "final phase of support," and PvP multiplayer game Invictus is "progressing steadily"
 
 
Latest in Assassin's Creed
Black Flag Resynced
Assassin's Creed: Black Flag remake finally out in the open as Ubisoft acknowledges its worst-kept secret
 
 
A screenshot of the title card for the upcoming game Assassin's Creed Codename Hexe.
Assassin’s Creed Hexe will be a "darker" installment "set during a pivotal moment in history"
 
 
Assassin's Creed Shadows cinematic screenshot
Assassin's Creed Shadows to enter "final phase of support," and PvP multiplayer game Invictus is "progressing steadily"
 
 
A screenshot of a dark woods during the reveal trailer for Assassin's Creed: Codename Hexe
Assassin's Creed Hexe creative director quits Ubisoft as Black Flag lead steps in following departure
 
 
Assassin's Creed Valhalla
Ubisoft CEO fights nepotism claims against Assassin's Creed studio by saying "Ubisoft was created as a family company"
 
 
Skull and Bones screenshot
Assassin's Creed 3 lead says "junior" Skull and Bones team was trying to "make Black Flag crossed with World of Tanks"
 
 
Latest in News
Invincible season 4
Invincible creator Robert Kirkman says fans will "finally get what they're asking for" with the introduction of Thragg
 
 
Tim Roth as Beckett reading with his feet on a desk in Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man
Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man villain Tim Roth starred in The Incredible Hulk to "embarrass" his kids
 
 
Fenris in Dragon Age 2.
Dragon Age 2 lead says "if some people are ambivalent" about the RPG's characters, "I guess I didn't really do my job"
 
 
Jeff the Land Shark as he appears in Marvel Rivals
Marvel Rivals devs are careful with balancing because "you have a vocal minority screaming the loudest"
 
 
Starfield
Bethesda will have "more to share next week" on Starfield as Todd Howard waves away claims he's a "visionary"
 
 
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 writer says picking an ending is like choosing a "favorite child" - "They are a pair"
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. Invincible season 4
    1
    Invincible creator Robert Kirkman says fans will "finally get what they're asking for" with the introduction of Thragg
  2. 2
    "Some ideas from Donkey Kong Bananza" may inform Nintendo's next big project, producer says
  3. 3
    Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man villain Tim Roth starred in The Incredible Hulk to "embarrass" his kids
  4. 4
    Dragon Age 2 lead says "if some people are ambivalent" about the RPG's characters, "I guess I didn't really do my job"
  5. 5
    A Fallout 4 QA tester nuked the RPG so hard that Zenimax executives got emails about it

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...