Assassin's Creed Shadows has been the target of multiple criticisms and has been the subject of various controversies in recent weeks. This is due to its recreation of Feudal Japan and its protagonist Yasuke, who has divided player opinion and even caught the attention of Japanese authorities.
Ubisoft is aware of all this, so this morning they published a statement to address the recent controversies and criticisms of their new game. In it, they apologize to Japanese players, acknowledging that certain aspects of the title have caused distress.
Furthermore, they reiterated that Assassin's Creed Shadows and all the games in the series are works of fiction, and therefore, there are certain creative liberties and simple historical inspirations that are not intended to be offensive. For this reason, they expressed their dissatisfaction with the attacks on their developers and requested that they stop.
Ubisoft apologizes to Assassin’s Creed Japanese fans
In their statement directed to Japanese players, Ubisoft states that creating an Assassin’s Creed game set in the Asian country has been a dream come true for many members of their team. They affirmed that their developers and collaborators share a passion for history and respect Japan's cultural heritage.
The studio explained that everyone worked hard to have a respectful and immersive representation of Feudal Japan, aiming to “spark curiosity and encourage players to explore and learn more about the historical settings we get inspired by.”
Ubisoft emphasized that they have never sought to strictly adhere to history in their game development, as after all, they are works of fiction. “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,” commented the studio.
Despite this, they know that some details about the title and its promotion have caused dissatisfaction among their Japanese fans. For this reason, Ubisoft publicly apologized and stated that they would listen to the criticism to improve the title leading up to its release.
“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. All game footage presented so far is in development and the game will keep evolving until launch. Based on the constructive criticism we have received, we will continue our efforts until we put this game into your hands,” the company added.
Ubisoft defends Assassin's Creed Shadows and its devs from criticism
Ubisoft does not agree with all the criticisms made about the new title, so they also came to its defense. They explained that they have worked with consultants, historians, and researchers to make creative decisions. They emphasized that all the games in the series are “works of fiction inspired by real historical events and figures,” incorporating fantasy elements to create engaging entertainment experiences. Despite this, they addressed the criticisms of Yasuke.
“The representation of Yasuke in our game is an illustration of this.Hisunique 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,” said Ubisoft.
Finally, the studio called for an end to the attacks on their developers and collaborators. “We respectfully request that any criticism not be directed at our collaborators, both internal and external..”
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