Ubisoft Responds to Assassin’s Creed Shadows Controversy with Open Letter

When a publisher takes the initiative to write a genuine open letter, you know something needs to be fixed. Ubisoft has now posted a letter on social media about its upcoming Assassin’s Creed Shadows game.

It seems that the publisher has stepped on some Japanese people, as this message is specifically directed at the Japanese community. There are also some things that could be corrected: for example, Ubisoft had to remove the flag it used in the game, as it belonged to a group that reenacts the battles of Sekigahara Teppo-tai, or Japanese infantry.

Additionally, not all Japanese gamers were equally happy with the way their history was handled. Not all the details were correct, and the main role of the black samurai Yasuke was also met with some skepticism. The great man did exist, but there is debate about his actual place in history.

Ubisoft says in the letter that Assassin’s Creed games are not entirely historically accurate, and that this doesn’t apply to Shadows either. “Instead, we want to spark curiosity and encourage players to explore further and learn more about the historical setting that inspired us. Assassin’s Creed Shadows is designed primarily to be an entertaining video game that tells a compelling historical fantasy story set in feudal Japan.”

The publisher apologizes for the promotional materials that offended Japanese society. This undoubtedly also relates to the aforementioned flag, although it is not mentioned by name.

Ubisoft also touched on Yasuke’s role. “Although Yasuke is portrayed as a samurai in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, we recognize that there is some controversy surrounding this. We have carefully woven this into our story and with our other main character, the Japanese shinobi Naoe, who does not play a significant role in the story, our two main characters play different playstyles.”

We’ll find out on November 15 whether Ubisoft has managed to avoid offending Japanese players even more. The game will then be released for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.