The anticipation and excitement surrounding the release of Assassin’s Creed Shadows have caused many to forget the initial controversy surrounding the game. From accusations of becoming anti-consumer to the racist backlash towards the main characters and disrespecting Japanese culture with the figurines and merchandise, the roll-out of Assassin’s Creed Shadows hasn’t been easy for Ubisoft. Let’s talk about some of the controversies surrounding the upcoming game.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows Protagonists

The two protagonists of Assassin’s Creed Shadows are Yasuke and Fujibayashi Naoe. Some Assassin’s Creed fans rejected both protagonists due to allegations of “DEI” and “wokeism” with the characters. Even though there has previously been a female protagonist of a main Creed game, there has never been a woman of color protagonist. Of course, there was Aveline de Granpré from Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation; however, that was a spin-off game.

Besides Naoe, the other protagonist, Yasuke, was the primary source of controversy. Aside from fans who had an issue that a Black man was a main character in a Creed game, many had problems because they felt that having him as a protagonist was untrue to Japanese history. Many felt that Naoe and Yasuke were the main characters, which wasn’t historically accurate because Naoe was trained as a shinobi. However, Naoe was taught by her father, Fujibayashi Nagato, a real-life shinobi living in the 16th century. Fujibayashi Nagato led the Iga ninjas in feudal Japan, which was also discussed in the game. He was considered to be one of the greatest ninjas of the era. This brings the historical tie that is common with Creed games.

Yasuke

As for Yasuke, he was a real Samurai. While not much is known about him, including his real name and where he came from, he did exist and was a Samurai. He was employed by Lord Oda Nobunaga and was said to have killed him in honor, at the warlord’s request, to prevent him from being killed by an enemy. There isn’t much to be known about Yasuke, despite him being the first Black samurai, but what is known about him was included in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, making it historically accurate. However, this fact will most likely do little to sway the fans who would rather their protagonist not look like Yasuke or Naoe.

Anti-Consumerism

Aside from the racial and gender-based controversy of Assassin’s Creed Shadows, there are accusations of greed and anti-consumerism on behalf of Ubisoft. Fans are put off by multiple aspects of how Ubisoft has been conducting business as of late. One of the problems that fans are having is the frequency with which they’re putting out games just in the Creed franchise alone. If you look at the timeline of Creed games, you’ll find that many of them come out year after year. Most games, especially in franchises, take much longer to release. 

For context, mobile games generally take 3-9 months to develop, indie games can take up to three years, and AAA games can take 2-5 years. Of course, this is just average. Any game can take much longer for a number of reasons, but these are the general timelines that gamers are used to. So, the fact that Ubisoft seems to be pumping out a new Creed game every year is strange. However, gamers wouldn’t have much issue with this if the franchise retained its quality, which many fans would argue hasn’t. Aside from the quality control issue, seeming to stem from mass-producing installments, people also have problems with the apparent greed that the developers are showing to the games.

Micro-transactions

Most of the time, you’ll find that there aren’t any microtransactions when you pay for a game like Assassin’s Creed Shadows. These are things that are typically reserved for games that are free to play. For example, if you purchased a game like Mario Wonder, there are no microtransactions. You pay $60 for a game and receive a complete game with all the content available to be unlocked as you play. If you play a game like Fortnite, many micro-transactions enhance the gameplay and enjoyment. The game is free to download and play; the developers must make money. Ubisoft breaks that mold, to no one’s enjoyment, by offering micro-transactions within their games that cost upwards of $60. They also release “ultimate” editions of games that can cost over $100 without content to justify the price.

Disrespecting Japanese Culture

Despite Ubisoft claiming that their goal is to showcase the beauty of Japanese culture with Assassin’s Creed Shadows and pay their respects, there have been a few instances where they’ve missed the mark and even had to apologize. The developers claim they did a lot of research to develop Assassin’s Creed Shadows; however, their released merchandise tells a different story. 

In July, Ubisoft put out a statement addressing Japanese fans after they put Chinese subtitles in Assassin’s Creed Shadows when Japanese-speaking characters were talking. In their statement, they said, in part, “First, we want to express our heartfelt thanks for all of your support for the Assassin’s Creed series, which now has its history spanning almost 20 years,” they then addressed the historical inaccuracy allegations, “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 Asssassin’s Creed Shadows, as factual representations of history or historical characters.”

Apology

They addressed the subtitle issue, apologizing, “We acknowledge that some elements in our promotional materials have caused concern within the Japanese community. For this, we sincerely apologize.” They claimed that any issues would be fixed before Assassin’s Creed Shadows launched and that these were just initial promotional materials. Within their message, they reiterated that they’ve worked closely with Ubisoft Japan and have many consultants and historians on the team to try to represent Japan accurately.

Final Thoughts

The release of Assassin’s Creed Shadows has not come without its bumps in the road. If it’s not Ubisoft misstepping, then it’s the fans. Ultimately, it’s possible that the reason for the delay of the game, which was supposed to be released in November 2024 but is now scheduled for February 2025, is the developers are trying to fix these issues. With all of the controversy surrounding the installment, many hope the game is worth the trouble it’s caused and that Ubisoft begins to slow down to focus on quality rather than quantity.

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