Ubisoft apologizes to Japanese fans for Assassin's Creed Shadows' marketing campaign

The Ubisoft development team behind Assassin's Creed Shadows has apologized on X for elements of the game's marketing campaign that have upset some Japanese fans and stated that the title will "keep evolving" ahead of its November release.

The details:

• Assassin's Creed Shadows, set during Japan's Sengoku ("Warring States") period, has drawn criticism from some in Japan for what has been termed "historical falsification" and a generally "sloppy" portrayal of their country. Central to the outcry is the character Yasuke, a real individual of African descent who was a retainer to Oda Nobunaga, one of the three great unifiers of Japan. The game depicts Yasuke in full samurai armor, which has drawn some ire due to the lack of historical records confirming that Yasuke was ever a samurai.
• Additionally, other elements of AC Shadows appear to be inaccurate, all of which has led to Ubisoft's apology on X, which states, "While we strive for authenticity in everything we do, Assassin's Creed games are works of fiction inspired by real historical events and figures." and "While Yasuke is depicted as a samurai in Assassin's Creed Shadows, we acknowledge 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's statement also affirms that the development team has collaborated with multiple consultants, historians, and researchers, as well as drawing on in-house local knowledge from its Tokyo studio. However, the debate about the merits of these external influences seems set to continue, with the publication JAPAN Forward cuttingly commenting two days ago, "While they claim to have had "experts on Japan" overseeing the project, it seems unlikely any of these supervisors were actually Japanese." in a recent deep-dive article on the topic.

Other recent Ubisoft news:

• Ubisoft has announced that it is laying off 33 developers at its Toronto studio just weeks after joining the Prince of Persia: Sands of Time remake project.
• Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot has shared that the publisher is currently planning to remake several past Assassin’s Creed titles in the future.

Other recent gaming news:

• Warner Bros. Games has acquired free-to-play platform fighter Multiversus developer Player First Games. The studio will continue to be led by its co-founders, Tony Huynh and Chris White.
• Microsoft recently announced that Xbox Game Pass would be subject to another price increase as well as structural changes, prompting the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to claim that this is "exactly the sort of consumer harm" it warned about.