Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Ubisoft’s upcoming entry to the 17-year-old franchise, has seen a ton of controversy since its announcement. The recent hike in interest and criticism for the game within Japan itself prompted Ubisoft to react and issue an apology, promising to fix 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 AC Shadows will take place. However, it also said how the Assassin’s Creed games were never meant to be historical sources but rather inspiration for players to take an interest in the settings themselves and explore them on their own. During development “some elements” shown in trailers and promos have “caused concern” with the Japanese people, Ubisoft wrote and formally apologized, vowing to “keep evolving” the game up to its release in November.
The company also touched on the issue of Yasuke, a man likely of African origin who served under the legendary warlord Oda Nobunaga, who has been at the center of most controversies surrounding the game, namely due to his being represented as a samurai. It explained how the aim of Assassin’s Creed games has always been to take inspiration from real-world cultures and figures and draw from them to create compelling historical fiction stories and that Ubisoft is well aware that Yasuke’s position as a samurai is “a matter of debate and discussion.” Even so, he is the “ideal candidate” for an Assassin’s Creed protagonist due to his “unique and mysterious life.”
Assassin’s Creed Shadows has had a tough few months with a world premier trailer that garnered over 775 thousand dislikes on YouTube alone. It still aims to launch on November 15, and Ubisoft hopes players will “appreciate the dedication, effort and passion” put into it.
