The controversy surrounding Assassin's Creed Shadows, accused, among other things, of being historically inaccurate, is never-ending and is starting up again with renewed vigor. Some people are not giving up.
Assassin's Creed Shadows is already shaping up to be one of the most anticipated installments in the franchise. Fans have been asking for a game in Japan for a long time, and the November 15, 2024their wish will be granted on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC. And at first glance, the craze is really there and it would already be a hit with high pre-orders according to insider Tom Henderson. But there you go, even if it seems promising, this episode is marred by a controversy that has made Twitter experts and others react.
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Gamers Don't Want Assassin's Creed Shadows
Assassin's Creed Shadows has made some people happy since its announcement, but also some unhappy. As a reminder, the game will let you play as the shinobi Naoe, and the samurai Yasuke. And it is this character that some people greatly dislike because of his origin and skin color. Even though they rather evoke a historical inconsistency to justify their negative opinion of Yasuke. Thus, some quickly rose to the occasion by arguing that the game was “woke” (a word emptied of its substance and diverted for a long time), because of playing a black character who “should not” be a samurai if we rely on History on the one hand, and a woman on the other. A visibly unsustainable combo.
This historical inconsistency is now used as an argument by some to demand the pure and simple cancellation of Assassin's Creed Shadows. A Change.org petition has been posted online and here are the explanations from the people who want to ban Ubisoft's game.
Lately, the lack of historical accuracy and cultural respect has been an issue regarding Ubisoft's upcoming Assassin's Creed Shadows. The game is based on Japanese samurai, but ignores the fact that they were of a higher class and should have been gokenin or servants of nobles. Ubisoft continues to misunderstand the nature and role of the samurai. This is an insult to Japanese culture and history, which may also have a connection to Asian racism. We call on Ubisoft to immediately cancel Assassin's Creed Shadows, and to show sincerity and respect for Japanese history and culture.
Via Change.org.
A petition to cancel the game
What does Ubisoft think? The publisher had spoken out before this petition about the banning of Assassin's Creed Shadows. Yves Guillemot, CEO of the company, denounced a controversy “malicious” and the hateful, not to say racist, nature of the messages since the game's official announcement. I want to make it clear that we at Ubisoft condemn these hateful acts in the strongest possible terms. I encourage the rest of the industry and gamers to speak out against them as well. ” he added. At the time of writing, the petition has collected 35,802 out of 50,000 signatures. Beyond the hateful nature of some comments, we must not forget that the series has always taken historical liberties. What's more, there are several sides to the story and historians do not necessarily agree with each other. In any case, Assassin's Creed Shadows will be released on November 15, 2024 as planned.