Assassin’s Creed Shadows Lead Producer Karl Onnée doubled down on Ubisoft’s previous claims that the game is committed to historical accuracy despite being trashed by gamers for its lack of historical accuracy.
A screenshot from Assassin’s Creed Shadows (2024), Ubisoft
Gamers including Japanese gamers have made it abundantly clear that Ubisoft has not committed to historical accuracy when it comes to the game. Thousands of Japanese players have signed a petition calling on Ubisoft to shut the game down and have accused Ubisoft of insulting Japanese culture and history which they claim can lead to racism in Asia.
As translated by Google’s machine translation, the petition created by Shimizu Toru states, “Recently, lack of historical accuracy and cultural respect has been a serious problem for game developer Ubisoft, which is scheduled to release Assassin’s Creed Shadows. This game is based on the samurai of Japan, ignoring the fact that the samurai is the upper class of the samurai class and should be [my family] or a person who serves you.”
It adds, “In fact, William Adams (Miura Prodor), the first European to receive the title of Samurai, was the one who served Tokugawa Ieyasu as the flag book for 250 stoning. (sp?)”
A screenshot from Assassin’s Creed Shadows (2024), Ubisoft
The petition then declares, “In such history, Ubisoft continues to misunderstand the essence and role of samurai. This is a serious insult to Japanese culture and history and can lead to racism in Asia.”
It then calls on Ubisoft to stop developing the game, “We call on Ubisoft to immediately discontinue the launch of Assassin’s Creed Shadows and show sincere research and respect for Japanese history and culture.”
As of writing the petition has received over 103,000 signatures.
A screenshot from Assassin’s Creed Shadows (2024), Ubisoft
Japanese YouTuber Shohei Kondo also explained numerous reasons as to why Japanese gamers are not happy with Ubisoft and Assassin’s Creed Shadows. He states. “We are protesting marketing DEIs, historical distortion stemming from their disregard for Asians and their arrogance, and discriminatory responses to protest from Japan.”
From there, he focuses his video on what he describes as “the biggest attempt to distort history Japan, that is the legendary Samurai, they claim, Yasuke.”
Ubisoft would eventually issue a statement directed at Japanese gamers. The company posted to X, “To our esteemed Japanese community — a message from the Assassin’s Creed Shadows development team. First, we want to express our heartfelt thanks for all your support for the Assassin’s Creed series which now has its own history spanning almost 20 years. Over this time, we have explored various settings, time periods, and characters, from an Assassin during the Third Crusade to a Viking in 9th century England, and countless more.”
It continued, “For many of our team, creating an Assassin’s Creed game set in Feudal Japan has been a long-cherished dream. Since the announcement of Assassin’s Creed Shadows, we have received many positive reactions, but also some criticism including from you, our Japanese players. We share your passion for history and deeply respect your care for the historical and cultural integrity of your rich heritage. We would like to address a few points to clarify our intentions and creative decisions:”
Assassin’s Creed on X
The company then discussed its overall authenticity efforts, “We have put significant effort into ensuring an immersive and respectful representation of Feudal Japan. However, our intention has never been to present any of our Assassin’s Creed games, including Assassin’s Creed Shadows, as factual representations of history, or historical characters. Instead, we aim to spark curiosity and encourage players to explore and learn more about the historical settings we get inspired by.”
“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,” Ubisoft continued. “Our team extensively collaborated with external consultants, historians, researchers, and internal teams at Ubisoft Japan to inform our creative choices.”
Assassin’s Creed on X
It then stated, “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 – and beyond.”
It then asked players to criticize Ubisoft rather than any consultants the company worked with claiming that the consultants “are in no way responsible for the decisions that are taken by the creative teams in the interests of gameplay and entertainment.”
Assassin’s Creed on X
Ubisoft then detailed the creative liberties it was taking, “While we strive for authenticity in everything that we do, Assassin’s Creed games are works of fiction inspired by real historical events and figures. From its inception, the series has taken creative license and incorporated fantasy elements to craft engaging and immersive experiences.”
Next, it specifically addressed the idea that Yasuke was a samurai, “The representation of Yasuke in our game is an illustration of this. His unique 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.”
“We have woven this carefully into our narrative and with our other lead character, the Japanese shinobi Naoe, who is equally important in the game, our dual protagonists provide players with different gameplay styles,” Ubisoft added.
The company concluded, “We greatly value your feedback and encourage you to continue sharing your thoughts, respectfully. While we understand that meeting everyone’s expectations is very difficult, we sincerely hope that when Assassin’s Creed Shadows launches on November 15, players in Japan and around the world will appreciate the dedication, effort, and passion we have poured into it.”
Assassin’s Creed on X
Now, in an interview with Games Industry, Onnée stated, “We are trying to create a game that is as authentic as possible. It’s something we take pride in.”
He continued, “And that is also a very long process. When we build a Japanese house from feudal Japan, it is very different from, say, a French medieval house or an English one. So you have to learn as artists where things go inside a feudal Japanese house… maybe the food doesn’t go there. You have to get everything you need to know and learn it. And that process is long.”
A screenshot from Assassin’s Creed Shadows (2024), Ubisoft
Later in the interview, Onnée explained how they went on site to conduct their research, “It’s not feudal Japan, obviously, but it is good to go on site, because it is only then that we realise it is very different to what we think it is.”
“It is very interesting, because when the team went there, one of the things that jumped out was the forests and how they are. We had made some forests based on the Greece landscape [for Odyssey], but when we went, we noticed it was very different to what we’d done, and we had to change it. You don’t necessarily find that stuff out when doing historical research,” he said.
“These are some of the small things that are very important, because you get a better sense of the dimensions of the building, of the culture, of monuments and shrines that are still standing today… it is important to represent all that correctly,” Onnée added.
A screenshot from Assassin’s Creed Shadows (2024), Ubisoft
Onnée then detailed, “Obviously when we make a game, we are trying to appeal to a global audience.”
“Since we are making a game in Japan, we do hope to appeal to more Japanese players. So, it is very important that we try to be as authentic as possible,” he continued. “We come from a humble position of we don’t know anything and we need to learn everything from scratch. We are making sure we respect things, because that is something very important to Japanese people, as it is in many other countries.”
“When you come in, you don’t want to come in as if you know everything. We want to build something that when they see and play it, they will recognise their own country,” he concluded.
A screenshot from Assassin’s Creed Shadows (2024), Ubisoft
What do you make of Onnée’s comments about being historically accurate with the game and trying to appeal to a global audience?
