Shadows of Assassin’s CreedUbisoft’s next installment to the 17-year-old franchise has generated much controversy since its announcement. The recent surge in interest and criticism for the game in Japan itself prompted Ubisoft to react and issue an apology, promising to correct the historical inaccuracies.
The developer posted the full apology on X (formerly Twitter) today, July 23. Ubisoft clarified how it “put significant effort” into creating an “immersive and respectful” model of feudal Japan in which Shadows of CA will take place. However, he also said how the Assassin’s Creed The games were never intended to be historical sources, but rather to inspire players to take an interest in the settings and explore them on their own. During development, “some elements” shown in trailers and promotions have “caused concern” among the Japanese people, Ubisoft wrote and formally apologized, promising to “continue to evolve” the game until its release in November.
The company also addressed the issue of Yasuke, a man likely of African descent who served under legendary warlord Oda Nobunaga, who has been at the center of most of the controversy surrounding the game, particularly due to him being depicted as a samurai. He explained how the goal of Assassin’s Creed The goal of the games has always been to draw inspiration from real-world cultures and characters and leverage them to create compelling historical fiction stories, and Ubisoft is well aware that Yasuke’s position as a samurai is “a topic of debate and discussion.” Still, he’s the “ideal candidate” for a Assassin’s Creed protagonist due to his “unique and mysterious life.”
Shadows of Assassin’s Creed has had a rough few months with a world premiere trailer garnering over 775,000 dislikes on YouTube alone. Still, it’s set for release on November 15 and Ubisoft hopes players will “appreciate the dedication, effort and passion” that went into it.
