The creative director of Assassin's Creed Shadows says that the decision to feature two distinct characters is part of the Assassin's Creed fandom's desire for two different types of main character. In an interview with GamesRadar+,

Ubisoft shares the complete list of Assassin's Creed Shadows accessibility features, which includes dozens of useful options.

One of the more notable aspects of Assassin's Creed Shadows is that there are two protagonists. This isn't like Assassin's Creed Odyssey where the player picks between two characters who are essentially the same except for their gender.