Assassin’s Creed Shadows devs respond to historical accuracy furor

IGN, PC Games

Developers Address Blowback Over Inclusion of Yasuke in Assassin’s Creed Shadows

Ubisoft, the team behind the upcoming game Assassin’s Creed Shadows set in Feudal Japan, responded to criticism this week regarding the inclusion of Yasuke, a Black samurai, as one of the playable characters.

In a statement released on Tuesday, Ubisoft developers specifically addressed the concerns of Japanese players who have raised issues about historical inaccuracies in the game and the use of Chinese subtitles in promotional materials. The developers apologized for any concerns caused within the Japanese community.

While Ubisoft emphasized that they made significant efforts to ensure an immersive and respectful representation of Feudal Japan in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, they clarified that the game is not intended to be a factual representation of history or historical characters.

Collaborative Efforts for Creative Choices

According to Ubisoft, Assassin’s Creed Shadows is designed to be an entertaining video game that tells a compelling historical fiction story set in Feudal Japan. The development team worked closely with external consultants, historians, researchers, and internal teams at Ubisoft Japan to inform their creative decisions.

The main controversy surrounding the game revolves around its playable characters, Yasuke and Naoe. Yasuke’s status as a samurai has been a point of contention due to the lack of historical documentation about him serving under Oda Nobunaga. However, Japanese historian Yu Hirayama recently suggested that Yasuke was indeed granted samurai status by Nobunaga.

Regardless of Yasuke’s official title in history, Ubisoft reiterated that the game is a work of fiction, not a historical account. The portrayal of Yasuke as a samurai is crucial to the plot of Assassin’s Creed Shadows.

Defending Creative Choices

While striving for authenticity, Ubisoft explained that Assassin’s Creed Shadows is a fictional narrative inspired by real historical events and figures. The representation of Yasuke in the game is a creative illustration to craft an engaging and immersive experience with Feudal Japan as the backdrop.

The developers also stressed their collaboration with various experts but clarified that the creative decisions were ultimately made by the development team for gameplay and entertainment purposes. They urged critics to refrain from directing any criticism towards their collaborators.

Amidst concerns of harassment towards external agencies involved in game development, Ubisoft’s statement aims to prevent any unwarranted backlash. The game is set to release on Nov. 15 for Mac, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X.