Assassin's Creed Shadows fan theory over its map gains momentum after fans solve Ubisoft's riddles for more tantalizing concept art

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Does this finally confirm the Kyoto setting?

Assassin's Creed Shadows
(Image credit: Ubisoft)

Ubisoft has sent out brand new Assassin's Creed Shadows concept art to fans ahead of launch later this year, and some think it's further proof of the game's setting around Kyoto.

Last month, right before Assassin's Creed Shadows was fully unveiled by Ubisoft, the developer sent fans on a bit of a treasure hunt by providing them with a series of ciphered numbers on Twitter. When aligned properly, the numbers formed a shape, which many fans believed fit perfectly over the Kansai region of Japan, potentially indicating the game's setting.

Now, Assassin's Creed Shadows fans have received concept art of the upcoming game via the official Discord server. The event unfolded, as seen below, as an unboxing with content creators linked to riddles back in the Ubisoft Discord server, and it took the streamer below right around two hours to solve the entire thing.

Assassin's Creed Shadows Mystery Puzzle - The First Mission - YouTube Assassin's Creed Shadows Mystery Puzzle - The First Mission - YouTube
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What they unlocked at the end was four pieces of artwork for Assassin's Creed Shadows. You can see the snippets of concept art just below, which many are taking as further proof that Shadows will sit around the Kansai region encompassing Kyoto, Iga Province, and Tanba Province.

The last concept art in particular does look very reminiscent of Takeda Castle, or rather, what's left of Takeda Castle in modern-day Japan. The castle sits at the top of a hill, almost on a plateau, and can be found north of Kobe in Hyogo Prefecture. This just about falls within the boundaries established by the ciphered numbers Ubisoft was teasing fans with earlier this year.

If this is in fact Takeda Castle, it points towards Assassin's Creed Shadows spanning quite the vast space in the middle of Japan, ranging from Mie Prefecture in the southeast, all the way to Takeda Castle in the northwest. It probably still won't be anything close to the gargantuan Assassin's Creed Valhalla, though (which is a good thing in my books).

Take a look at our new games 2024 guide for a look over all the other titles set to launch later this year. 

Hirun Cryer
Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.

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