Japanese gamers are not happy with Ubisoft and its recent statement apologizing for “creating concern with the Japanese community” with Assassin’s Creed Shadows.
A screenshot from Assassin’s Creed Shadows (2024), Ubisoft
Ubisoft through the official Assassin’s Creed account on X stated, “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:”
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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.”
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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.”
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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.”
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Japanese players reacted to this statement by further calling out Ubisoft.
One user wrote, “I think the story about Yasuke should just be considered ‘fiction based on Yasuke.’ The issue of historical retelling is no longer a UBI issue but a Lockley issue.”
He added, “However, Yasuke is no longer the problem. The plagiarism of materials from manga, organizations, and cultural heritage sites, the misinterpretation of Japanese history, and the misinterpretation of Japanese as Chinese, among other things, show disregard for Japan. The problem is these.”
pow0604_game on X
Another user posted, “Thanks to your company, I was able to become aware of the historical changes being made by the forces of globalization against Japan. Thank you very much.”
mika7_1 on X
“It’s so roundabout that I don’t know what you’re trying to say,” wrote another.
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Still another wrote, “I’ve played almost all of the previous games, but I especially love Assassin’s Creed Origins. Origins was a story about Bayek, an Egyptian whose culture and religion are completely different from ours. To be honest, in the beginning of the game, the characters’ views on life and death, customs, and religious terminology were all foreign to me, and I found many parts difficult to get into. However, as I played the game, these skills naturally came to me and I felt like I was able to identify with Bayek, who has a completely different cultural background to us. It was a wonderful game. I also believe that there is no other work that excels in constructing the world of Egypt at that time.”
He added, “So, in the original Famitsu interview, it was written that in order to depict medieval Japan, ‘we were looking for a samurai who could represent us, even though we are not Japanese.’ I am very disappointed with this statement. There may be a difference in the nuance of the translation, but I couldn’t believe that it was coming from the company that made Origins.”
“I think what’s most worrying about this current uproar is whether or not this game is contributing to historical revisionism,” he declared. “To be honest, the issues involved are beyond my ability to handle, so I will leave that to the experts, but the thing that worries me the most is the fundamental philosophy behind how the world is depicted in this game.”
“Rather than a ‘depiction that pursues detailed realism’ like Origins, which recreates the world of that time in a game, I strongly hope for an ‘experience that allows you to become one with that world.’ As a fan of the series, I hope that Shadows doesn’t end up being just a work set in Japan during the Sengoku period,” he concluded.
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Hanaxmoe wrote, “I would like to ask that the third image, ‘An example of creative expression,’ be clearly written as ‘An example of fiction.’ Japanese people are tolerant of fiction that deals with historical figures, but are intolerant of anything that is not described as fiction. Please do not underestimate the Japanese people.”
hanaxmoe on X
Nahitafu wrote, “He seems to be apologizing but he doesn’t say anything.”
nahitafu on X
“This is so sloppy. It’s been a long time since I’ve been so disappointed with something. It’s so disrespectful and unpleasant,” wrote Exodus_Solidus.
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As a game there are a lot of problems with it, such as plagiarism, but can’t they just be fixed? Thank you for letting me know about the Yasuke problem. I will raise more issues,” wrote ydtukuttemita.
ydtukuttemita
mo_ngeri on X
xyapa220 on X
Neon_sky_2023 wrote, “An accurate portrayal of “black people who came to Japan” would be Johnny Somali and Johnny! By including them in the game, Ubisoft will be able to make it more factual and historically accurate. I highly recommend it as the content will be more suited to a diverse ‘modern audience’!”
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What do you make of these Japanese players’ reaction to Ubisoft’s apology?
