Hello everyone,

As the first Assassin's Creed game to release on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC only, the development team put a lot of effort into our new Anvil engine to fully leverage the latest hardware capabilities, setting new technical standards for the series.

You can see that in the PC & New-Gen Features Trailer that we released today. Check it out below:

Over the past few weeks, we gathered questions from the community on tech topics through multiple social platforms as well as the Ubisoft Creator Program. We sat down with Pierre F, Technology Director on Assassin's Creed Shadows, to answer many of these questions.

Tech Q&A

Question 1

Wuckforld on Reddit: "In terms of performance, do the PS5 and Xbox series X versions have a 60 fps mode?"

Pierre F: Yes! We're happy to confirm that both the PS5 and Xbox Series X will allow players to play at 60 FPS 2160p upscaled, in performance mode. More details on the modes available on consoles will be shared before the game's launch.

Question 2

Danghunk on Reddit "Given the game is using heavily resource demanding features like RTGI and with current-gen console hardware being what it is, what is being done to ensure that the console versions won't be too heavily compromised with regard to image quality in order to accommodate these features? "

Pierre F: That is really a good question from Danghunk! Reaching 60 FPS on a game like Assassin's Creed Shadows while using RTGI would mean sacrificing quite a lot to accommodate for its relatively high cost. Thus, the direction we took for Shadows was to use a hybrid approach.

Anvil, our in-house engine with which AC Shadows is built, has featured an industry-leading baked (offline) global illumination pipeline since AC Unity, and we have kept improving that over every game built since. Unity introduced it, Syndicate added support for dynamic time of day cycles, Origins introduced what we call a sparse GI system to support drastically larger open worlds, and Valhalla added support for multi-state environments, as it was necessary for the settlements. On Shadows, we continued to improve this technology by adding support for the new dynamic seasons - the global illumination of a scene is drastically different if there is a snow cover compared to lush vegetation with colorful flowers blooming - as well as supporting much thinner walls.

The advantage of this proven, yet modernized technology is its relatively low GPU cost. This allowed us to target a 60 FPS experience on Xbox Series X and PS5 that is still impressive, in which we still had room for new gen improvements. For example, it is worth noting that all the vegetation in AC Shadows is physically animated on the GPU based on a dynamic wind system driven by a fluid simulation!

Finally, we didn't want the image in performance mode to be so low resolution that it becomes blurry, and targeting 60 FPS with raytracing on console would have meant we would not have had enough GPU budget to improve other rendering systems.

However, it was clear to us that there are undeniable advantages to raytraced global illumination. First and most importantly is that it adapts to change in the scene. In a game such as Shadows, in which we had strong ambitions with destructible objects and a changing environment, the benefits in image quality of having a global illumination that adapts to the change in the scene are numerous. Furthermore, raytraced global illumination implicitly introduced raytraced ambient occlusion, which adds subtle, yet noticeable details to the image. Furthermore, we are no longer bound to fixed size world space resolutions for our GI, which increases lighting quality details. But, most importantly, we had one game feature that we really want to introduce, the Hideout, that simply could not exist without raytraced global illumination to make it as we wanted it to be.

Question 3

Whaleheda on Discord: "Can you tell us more about the "Atmos" tool that controls the weather system in the game? What's the difference of having this tool in AC: Shadows compared to the older games?"

Pierre F: Atmos is a procedural, physics-based weather simulation that generates cloudscapes in Shadows. Before, clouds were manually crafted by artists and copy-pasted in the sky, like a photoshop montage. This limited the variety of cloudscapes that were possible to create, and oftentimes ended up in unnatural compositions. With Atmos, we're able to simulate natural cloud formations and they aren't static anymore: they constantly evolve over time. Transitions between weather states are more fluid as well - for example, after a storm, clouds dissipate in a very natural way.

Question 4

Rafiti on UCP: "AC Shadows is the AC with the best graphics to date, could you tell us the minimum (1080p 30fps) and maximum requirements? (4k Ultra at 60 fps)"

BobDuckNWeave on UCP: "What are the tiered PC requirements specs, i.e. Minimum, Recommended, Ultra with split outs for 1080p, 1440p & 4K, realistically would be great to have these a month before launch so consumers can upgrade accordingly. Great opportunity for manufacturers to create content around it to help sales of components."

Zykopath on UCP: "Instead of just listing minimum and recommended specs, The PC gaming community would love to see system requirements for the following categories, while mentioning a GPU from each major manufacturer; Nvidia, AMD, and Intel, alongside VRAM requirements, and if upscaling is used or not, and at what quality level: A. 1080p 30 fps low B. 1080p 60 fps high C. 1440p 60 fps high or ultra D. 4k 60 fps ultra. And additional requirements for Ray Tracing if available."

Pierre F: We have provided several scenarios on the PC specs image you can find below.

However, there are as many scenarios as there are PCs, and it is relatively hard to be extremely precise when providing PC specs visual. The team did its best to provide the most qualitative and immersive experience to the largest number of players, ensuring that everyone can enjoy the game to its fullest potential. Here are some additional details:

We have 5 distinct scalability presets (Low, Medium, High, Very High, Ultra High) and 3 raytracing modes (Diffuse Hideout Only, Diffuse Everywhere and Diffuse + Specular Everywhere). Furthermore, players can fine tweak their preferences by changing one of the numerous options (approximately 20) configured by a scalability preset.

Various upscaling technologies (TAA, DLSS, FSR and XeSS) can be used in conjunction with dynamic resolution scaling to target a given framerate, in which case the game will adapt pre-upscaling resolution to try and reach the desired FPS.

To assist in calibrating the options, an in-game benchmark tool is available for consistent and reproducible results. 

Question 5

Acrobatic_Count_4780 on Reddit: « Selective Ray Tracing » What does that mean ? That we can choose if we want to enable or not RT?

Pierre F: Assassin's Creed Shadows features three distinct raytracing modes on PC:

Selective Raytracing: This mode uses raytracing only within the Hideout portion of the game. The reason behind this is that the Hideout allows extensive player customization at a level never seen before on Assassin's Creed. Because of that, we cannot use traditional, pre-calculated, global illumination techniques, and therefore need to adopt a real-time approach. In all other gameplay situations, such as in the open world, raytracing will not be used.

However, if your GPU does not support hardware raytracing, such as pre-RTX GPUs, we have developed our own solution to allow competent, yet older, GPUs to run Assassin's Creed Shadows. The game will use a proprietary software-based raytracing approach developed specifically for that. This was made to ensure Assassin's Creed Shadows remains accessible to as many players as possible.

Standard Raytracing: This mode uses the hardware raytracing capabilities of the GPU to compute real-time global illumination.

Extended Raytracing: This mode uses the hardware raytracing capabilities of the GPU to compute both real-time global illumination and reflections. This is the most extensive usage of raytracing.

On GPUs that support hardware raytracing, the choice will always be given to the player. It is one of numerous settings available to players to customize their experience on PC.

the player. It is one of numerous settings available to players to customize their experience on PC.

Question 6

Assassin's Creed Central on UCP: "Is Nvidia's DLSS 3.5 (or more?) available, with ray reconstruction and frame generation ? What about FSR 3.1?"

GROMO Gaming on UCP: Will the game support DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) or FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution) to boost performance

Game Aspect on UCP: "Will the game include next-gen AI tools like DLSS, FSR, XeSS, or Frame Generation to ensure smooth gameplay with higher FPS?"

Pierre F: AC Shadows supports all the upscaling technologies mentioned here. DLSS 3.7, FSR 3.1 and XeSS 2 are all supported for both upscaling and frame generation purposes. Our own Temporal AA solution is also available. Note that a mix and match approach is possible. You may select one technology to upscale while using a different technology for frame generation purposes.

Furthermore, as part of our partnership with Intel, we had direct and privileged access to XeSS 2 before it was made public, and we worked directly with Intel engineers to provide the best implementation possible.

Question 7

Furious Kitty on UCP: "What graphical options will there be to improve performance for a gamer playing on a semi-high-end budget gaming PC?"

Peetaspants on UCP: "How scalable is the game's performance on different PC setups, and are there any recommended settings for creators prioritizing smooth performance over high-end visuals?"

Pierre F:One thing we tried with Shadows was to be as scalable as possible. We want the game to cater to the high-end of the spectrum without putting the bar too high in terms of requirements. As such, we believe that our minimum required specs reflect this commitment. A GTX 1070, the minimum required GPU, is quite old at this time, yet we made efforts to support pre-RTX GPU (GTX 1070, GTX 1080TI and equivalent) that are still competent today but lack hardware level raytracing capabilities. To further highlight our commitment to this direction, we've developed a proprietary software raytraced GI solution to support the new dynamic Hideout.

On the other end of the spectrum, we have introduced major new technologies to the engine, always with a scalability mindset. For instance, AC Shadows will use our proprietary Micropolygons system for the first time, a virtualized geometry system which allows us to render more polygons with more level of details continuity, and supports all scalability preset, from Low to Ultra. The same principle applies to our use of raytracing, as we have 3 distinct modes as highlighted in earlier.

But there's one thing we didn't compromise on no matter where the configuration lies on the spectrum, and that's our vision of creating a more dynamic world by introducing weather and seasons, never-before-seen level of destruction in an AC, fluid-driven wind and particle effects & physically animated vegetation to wow our players. All of those enhancements are available to the player, no matter where his PC lies on the spectrum.

We want to highlight the fact that the game will look stunning even on the lowest settings. Everyone will enjoy the experience.

Question 8

The Boy Aqua on UCP: "What level of HUD customization can we expect on launch?"

Pierre F: Dozens of HUD and interface elements are customizable by the player at launch.

Question 9

EdgeTypE on UCP:" What accessibility features will be available for PC players?"

Pierre F: we shared lots of details about accessibility in this article. But you can find the full list here too:

ACCESSIBILITY FEATURES LIST

Visual

• Colorblind options - Ability to change colors for certain gameplay elements from a list of presets
• Screen Narration - Not only most menu items, but also many HUD modules and time-sensitive elements can be narrated
• HUD Customization - Ability to turn all HUD elements on or off either all at once, or individually, either with shortcut or using presets - increase opacity, resize text, resize Icons or add background to increase readability 
• Screen shake on/off toggle 

Audio

• Subtitles - Better color modifications, speaker directions and speaker emotions
• Gameplay Captions - Surfacing stimuli and points to their origins
• Audio Description for Cinematics - Cinematic will be audio descripted
• Audio Cues/Audio Glossary - New signs and feedback allowing navigation and path finding with non-visual cues
• Separate, isolated audio sliders

Navigation and Guidance

• FTUE - First time user experience flow is back, offering first-access critical options
• Guided Mode - Offer streamlined systems and remove part of the gameplay to alleviate the requirement for player engagement in exploration and finding content
• Tutorials Section - Tutorials can be found in the Codex section at any time
• Menu Tutorials - Always alerts when there are new menu functions
• Conversation Log - Every line can be perused from the start to the end of a dialogue

Controls

• Control Remapping - Remap gameplay inputs, and their action (hold, press, double-press)
• Many inputs devices - Mouse and keyboard, controllers, combinations
• Lock-On Camera - Lock the camera on an enemy
• X and Y axis inversion - Ability to invert the axis for aiming actions
• Stick inversion - Invert the analog-stick behavior

Gameplay

• Stealth and combat each have four separate difficulty settings
• Guided Mode - Offer streamlined systems and remove part of the gameplay to alleviate the requirement for player engagement in exploration and finding content
• Canon Mode - Enable automatic selection of narrative decisions for the "canon" story to unfold
• Melee Attack Mode - Simplifies the combat by using a single input instead of multiple buttons or complex combinations
• Quick Timed Events - Type of input required to complete Quick Time Events can be simplified, or skipped entirely
• Aim Assistance - Four levels of aim assistance are offered (off, light, moderate, full)

Question 10

Stumpt Gamerson UCP: "What kind of spatial audio setups will Shadows support on PC? (ie: Dolby Atmos?)"

Saint4sinner on UCP: "Will the game take advantage of spatial audio technologies such as Dolby Atmos or DTS:X?"

Pierre F: Dolby Atmos and DTS:X are both supported.

We do have some minimal audio cues for gameplay elements like when the player goes into hiding or when we drop an LKP.

Question 11

AccessTheAnimus on UCP: "Will the game feature the in-game performance benchmark as it was the case for Valhalla and Mirage?"

Pawsibilityx0 on UCP: "Will there be a benchmarking tool included to help players optimize settings for their specific hardware?"

Redbeeard on UCP: "Is there a benchmark mode to test system performance beforehand?

Pierre F: Yes! The game does feature an in-game benchmark to test and tweak scalability parameters. Furthermore, a performance overlay can be activated in-game directly to view performance metrics such as FPS and GPU utilization, amongst others.

Question 12

IntroJuegos on UCP: "The game will offer advanced graphical customization options, such as field of view (FOV) adjustment and motion blur?"

Pierre F: Yes. On PC, FOV can be tweaked from 85% to 115%. On PC as well, motion blur can be toggled on and off and Anti-Aliasing can be controlled through the upscale option, and native Anti-Aliasing can be selected from the options.

Question 13

Luke Stephens on UCP: "Will the game be Steam Deck certified at launch?"

Pierre F: At launch, the game will not be compatible with Steam Deck, due to the fact it is below our minimum specs for PC.

Question 14

Mikelabs YT on UCP: "Is AC Shadows going to be natively available for Mac OS 6? And can we play the game over Wine wrapper made for macOS in MacBook Pro M2?

Pierre F: AC Shadows was natively ported to MacOS. As such, a wrapper is not necessary. However, to answer all questions regarding the macOS specs, we're happy to today to reveal the macOS specs below:

Question 15

JorRaptor on UCP: « Do we need the Ubisoft launcher if we buy the game on Steam? »

Ubisoft Connect Team: Launching the game through Steam doesn't require you to download and install the Ubisoft Connect Launcher, as the Steam installation already includes a lite embedded version of it. You simply need to link your Ubisoft Connect account to Steam.

As Assassin's Creed Shadows comes with cross-save and cross-progression features, linking your Ubisoft Connect account allows us to provide you with a seamless experience no matter where you play. Through Ubisoft Connect, you will also be part of our global loyalty program to unlock rewards and exclusive discounts, including on pre-orders and new releases.

For those without a Ubisoft Connect account, you can easily create one on the first launch and link it with your Steam account. This one-time setup ensures you won't need to log in again.

Question 16

GrouS_ttv  on UCP: "Will the game support cross-platform progression (cross-save) between PC and other platforms?"

GameLoop on UCP: "Is there cross-platform save compatibility between PC and consoles?"

Pierre F: Yes, cross-saves are supported for AC Shadows. That is one of the positive outcomes with the Ubisoft account linking on Steam, for instance.

Question 17

DeathStalker on UCP: "How deep does the new dynamic weather/seasonal system go?"

superNorm on UCP: "Is there dynamic weather?"

Pierre F: Yes, it does. The game has dynamic weather and seasons that impact different aspects of gameplay during your experience. Let's go through a few of them.

First of all, it impacts your stealth infiltration. When it's raining, the sound covers your footsteps, so you can move without being heard as much. It also changes enemy patrol, as the higher social classes go under roofs to be protected from rain.

Seasons have even more impact, such as how some bushes/vegetation are simply gone in the winter months. Agriculture changes over different seasons, creating new hiding spots, and snow can slow down Naoe, but not Yasuke.

Lastly, icicles can fall off roofs, creating noise distractions that enemies actually hear and react to.

Those are just a few examples on how weather will affect the gameplay, allowing you to get more opportunities for gameplays scenarios.

Question 18

Compusemble on UCP: "How much additional stress has the addition of destructible environments placed on the CPU, if any?"

Pierre F: This is a great technical question! It is very true that more dynamism, notably lots of destructible objects and physically simulated add an undeniable cost on the CPU. Combined with a much denser world in terms of assets per similar area compared to what we used to have in the past, the stress on CPU should be higher. In practice, we've implemented a lot of clever systems to handle the increased amount.

For example, in typical game engines, physically simulated objects are deactivated, or sleeping, unless a condition triggers them to be active. However, each object remains an atomic entity in the world, and this approach scales to maybe a hundred objects, but doesn't scale that well with thousands, when you factor in all of the other systems that need to simulate, such as AI, animation, audio and graphical systems.

In Anvil, we combine objects automatically as part of our build generation process into a single object, which limits CPU processing cost as a single object within the engine represents maybe dozen objects in the world. While this approach allowed us to have dense open worlds, most of those objects end up being static, or with very limited interactivity. We solved this problem in AC shadows by dynamically removing object from the optimized batches at runtime when we detect a condition that needs to "awake" a dynamic object. This might sound simple, but given the complexity of the merging system, and the number of complex destruction sources, this was quite the endeavor.

Furthermore, we have offset this increased cost in physics simulation by leveraging more and more our GPU instance renderer, which is our cutting-edge system to submit objects to the GPU for rendering, which in the past was a huge burden on the CPU.

That is all for today! We hope this gave you more worthwhile information on Assassin's Creed Shadows.

The wait will be finally over as Assassin's Creed Shadows releases in a bit more than a month, on March 20, on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, Ubisoft+ Premium, Amazon Luna, Macs with Apple silicon via the MacApp Store as well as Windows PC through the Ubisoft Store, Steam and the Epic Games Store. You can pre-order the game on all platforms. Players doing so will get access to the expansion "Claws of Awaji" for no extra cost.