Ubisoft Responds To The Push Back For Assassin’s Creed Shadows

The Assassin’s Creed franchise is moving into a new direction. Already, it is confirmed an interconnected hub is already prepared to be coming later this year. The ‘Animus Hub’ bridges its releases together similar to Call of Duty HQ. Additionally, publisher Ubisoft confirmed that remakes for the series are planned internally. Details on the first project has yet to be revealed.

For 2024, the firm is preparing to push out the long-demanded Feudal Japan game, Assassin’s Creed Shadows. The new entry is set to release this November. New details for the game reveal that the choice between Samurai Yosuke & Shinobi Naoe is left to the player’s volition. What’s more, a constant internet connection is not required to play the full game either, the firm addressed.

One of the biggest push backs for Assassin’s Creed Shadows is the choice of its story. Yosuke’s legend was brought into the spotlight after revealing he would be playable in the new game. Given the title of Samurai, many users online argue the authenticity that Ubisoft chased for diversity points rather than creating a believable portrayal of the Sengoku Period. On X, Ubisoft responded to the users challenging its decision for the game.

Creative Liberties and Historical Inspirations: While we strive for authenticity in everything that we do, Assassin’s Creed games are works of fiction inspired by real historical events and figures. From its inception, the series has taken creative license and incorporated fantasy elements to craft engaging and immersive experiences. The representation of Yasuke in our game is an illustration of this. His unique and mysterious life made him an ideal candidate to tell an Assassin’s Creed story with the setting of Feudal Japan as a backdrop.

While Yasuke is depicted as a samurai in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, we acknowledge that this is a matter of debate and discussion. We have woven this carefully into our narrative and with our other lead character, the Japanese shinobi Naoe, who is equally important in the game, our dual protagonists provide players with different gameplay styles.

“We have put significant effort into ensuring an immersive and respectful representation of Feudal Japan. However, our intention has never been to present any of our Assassin’s Creed games, including Assassin’s Creed Shadows, as factual representations of history, or historical characters. Instead, we aim to spark curiosity and encourage players to explore and learn more about the historical settings we get inspired by.

“Assassin’s Creed Shadows is first and foremost, designed to be an entertaining video game that tells a compelling, historical fiction set in Feudal Japan. Our team extensively collaborated with external consultants, historians, researchers, and internal teams at Ubisoft Japan to inform our creative choices,” Ubisoft added in the letterhead.

“Despite these sustained efforts, we acknowledge that some elements in our promotional materials have caused concern within the Japanese community. For this, we sincerely apologize. […] We also want to clarify that while we have been consulting with many people throughout the development process, they are in no way responsible for the decisions that are taken by the creative teams in the interests of gameplay and entertainment. Consequently, we respectfully request that any criticism not be directed at our collaborators, both internal and external.”

What is your response to Ubisoft’s apology?

Assassin’s Creed Shadows ships November 15, 2024 for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, PC, and Luna.