Hey JohnUnfortunate, thanks for getting in touch! Welcome to the forums.
I'm very sorry for the late reply. If you are still having this issue, could you try verifying your game files:
1. In Uplay, click on Games tab at the top of the window
2. On the next screen, hover over the game tile. This will make a little arrow appear at the bottom right of the tile
3. Click on this arrow to make a drop-down menu appear, then click on Verify files
Then, disable your background applications (temporarily for testing purposes):
1. Close all open programs and reboot your PC.
2. Press the Windows and R keys simultaneously.
3. Type msconfig into the box and press Enter.
4. Choose Selective startup.
5. Uncheck Load startup items.
6. Reboot your system.
Try the game after this, and lemme know if the issue persists!