It looks like Ubisoft's finally had it with the Assassin's Creed Shadows outrage mill: 'When we self-censor in the face of threats, we hand over our power'

GamesActionAssassin’s CreedAssassin’s Creed ShadowsIt looks like Ubisoft’s finally had it with the Assassin’s Creed Shadows outrage mill: ‘When we self-censor in the face of threats, we hand over our power’When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

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(Image credit: Ubisoft)

The dual protagonists of Assassins Creed Shadows stand silhouetted against a setting sun.

If you’ve been following the general discussions around Assassin’s Creed Shadows, you’ll have probably noticed—if you’ve had the stomach for it—a great deal of fury about the game’s lead characters. FromElon Musk taking swingsfor some unfathomable reason, toover-placating apologiesfrom the company itself, to the game’s subreddit having to instate new rules toget people to please shut up about it, it’s been a headache and a half.

Speaking at a BAFTA event (thanks,Eurogamer) in London, franchise head Marc-Alexis Coté has givenUbisoft’s biggest outright condemnation of this behaviour so far. First, though, some context:

The dual protagonists shown off for Assassin’s Creed’s upcoming instalment are a shinobi, Naoe, and a samurai, Yasuke. Yasuke’s based on a 16th-century figure, an African who went on to be a retainer to Oda Nobunaga—this is also far, far from the first time he’s shown up in media, both Japanese and otherwise. My personal favourite is the vampire swordsman Nagoriyuki from Guilty Gear: Strive—though that’s mostly because his theme slaps.

Despite the fact that Yasuke being represented as a samurai is both a common occurrence in Japanese mediaanda complete non-event to anyone familiar with the series (and not just engaging in outrage tourism) Ubisoft’s felt the need to be oddly meek about the whole thing, with the company’s CEO holding his hands up recently to reassure the public that Assassins Creeddoesn’t have a political agenda.

Which is why it’s nice to see Coté finally push back against it with, for lack of a better phrase, his whole heart: “In Assassin’s Creed Shadows, we highlight figures, both fictional like Naoe, a Japanese woman warrior, and historical, like Yasuke, the African born samurai. While the inclusion of a Black samurai in feudal Japan has sparked questions and even controversy, Naoe, as a fictional character, has also faced scrutiny for her gender.

“But just as Yasuke’s presence in Japanese history is fact, so too are the stories of women who defied societal expectations and took up arms in times of conflict. So while both Naoe and Yasuke’s stories are works of historical fiction, they reflect the collision of different worlds, cultures and roles, and their inclusion is precisely the kind of narrative that Assassin’s Creed seeks to tell, one that reflects the complexity and interconnectedness of our shared history.”

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It really is like night and day when compared to the company’s previous stances—either there’s some conflicting messaging, or Ubisoft’s collectively blinked the fuzz out of its eyes and recognised that you might as well dig your heels in, because the people hauling these pitchforks aren’t likely to rest until their targets are thoroughly skewered.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows: World Trailer - YouTubeWatch On

Assassin’s Creed Shadows: World Trailer - YouTube

There’s a little corporate speak going on here, don’t get me wrong. Assassin’s Creed gets described as “more than a game” and “a platform for meaningful exploration and reflection wrapped in the excitement of unforgettable gameplay”—which is executive babble, let’s be honest. But the speech goes into some deeply impassioned territory that I’m surprised made it to the stage:

As a critic, the idea that Ubisoft—mostly known for making some quite good open world action games/RPGs—is creating the future of anything is up for debate. But the rest of Coté’s words here feel disarmingly earnest and, speaking plainly? It’s about time they were said. Whatever my opinions are as someone who plays videogames, as someone whomakes stuff,Ubisoft’s franchise lead actually taking a stance instead of placating reactionaries with hand-wringing is enough to make me sigh with relief.

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