Ubisoft has criticized the posting of a leaked screenshot from its under-wraps multiplayer Assassin’s Creed game, which had been altered using AI.
Last night, Assassin’s Creed leaker j0nathan posted an image that supposedly revealed Assassin’s Creed Invictus, the franchise’s multiplayer spinoff announced by Ubisoft back in 2022 that we’ve seen nothing of since.
The screenshot shows a character in historical clothing, standing in what looks to be an arena. However, the environment is clearly far from finished — it’s obvious this version of the game is still very much in development.
⚠️LEAK⚠️ Aller hop c’est cadeau : voici une première image de Assassin’s Creed Invictus !
Une grosse partie du jeu n’est pas texturé donc ne soyez pas étonné des gros blocs gris, c’est vraiment juste pour vous donner un aperçu de ce à quoi ressemble le jeu actuellement. pic.twitter.com/tQBBGu1ZKB
— j0nathan (@xj0nathan) May 5, 2026
“Alright, here’s a little gift: here’s a first image of Assassin’s Creed Invictus!” j0nathon wrote. “A big part of the game isn’t textured yet, so don’t be surprised by the big gray blocks — it’s really just to give you a glimpse of what the game looks like right now.”
Quickly, however, the post sparked a response from Ubisoft’s official Assassin’s Creed social media account, which blasted the image as “misinformation.”
“Nice try… This might have started as an image from our private test, but it’s been heavily altered (most probably with AI),” Ubisoft wrote. “Not great to spread misinformation. 👎 For those genuinely curious about the project: we’ll share more when the time is right!”
Bizarrely, j0nathon then admitted the leaked image had indeed been manipulated using AI — and then promptly posted a version claimed to be the original, unedited version. There are notable differences between the two images, with different lighting, colors for the character’s clothing, and textures for the arena’s floor.
“Alright, since the official account is acting all smug, here’s the real screenshot without AI (and unfortunately for them, it’s exactly the same crap 😂,” j0nathan claimed.
Ok vu que le compte officiel fait le malin, voici le vrai screen sans IA (et malheureusement pour eux, c’est exactement la même merde 😂) https://t.co/9tJkwjQWid pic.twitter.com/V7gMtYuP99
— j0nathan (@xj0nathan) May 5, 2026
“I didn’t want to give the game bad publicity and show just how catastrophic a state it was in, I simply asked the AI to liven up the colors, and they’re not happy about it 😂,” Jonathan continued. “I’m gonna drop some images of Beyond Good and Evil 2 that I’ve had for a while, they’re gonna whine like crazy given the state of the game (worse than Invictus).”
The image’s posting comes amid a backdrop of whispers around the state of Invictus. Fans believe an early build of the game was recently demoed to a small test group of players who were left unimpressed — though, of course, gathering feedback to improve games before they’re meant to be seen by the public is a standard part of development. There’s no suggestion Invictus is designed to launch anytime soon, either, with the game still very much in the oven.
Response to the leak, and to the reveal that the initial image was edited using AI, has been mixed. Many fans have criticized the posting of a screenshot showing a clearly work-in-progress game, edited using AI, as unhelpful for showcasing what the finished product will actually look like — and there’s a clear suggestion that this isn’t a route fans want to see other leakers follow.
“Why use AI in the first place then?” wrote Assassin’s Creed fan RGisOnline. “Kinda ruins the credibility. Like whats the point in changing the clouds and ground if the core of the screenshot is similiar?”
“Why do you think you were doing them a favour by changing the characters robes 💀,” questioned another fan, lcvebyers. “Why would you want the leak to appear any different if the whole point is to leak it.”
Assassin’s Creed Invictus is one of many games in its historical blockbuster franchise that Ubisoft has in development, announced years ago alongside the already-released Assassin’s Creed Shadows, as well as the witchcraft-themed Assassin’s Creed Hexe (which is expected next year). Of course, there’s also the upcoming Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced, which is set to debut on July 9 — and which we got our best look at just yesterday.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
