Assassin's Creed Shadows apology causes more damage than necessary

Video gaming, like many forms of entertainment, often reflects the times in which they occur. But, like movies, books, comics, etc. – video games can take a tour of the past to show some hint of what it was like to exist in some aspect of a different era. The Assassin’s Creed series has long done that in a way that melds fan fiction and known history into an enjoyable form of entertainment. Its upcoming edition, Assassin’s Creed Shadows has been marred with controversy that took another turn when Ubisoft issued a vague but interesting apology.

On Tuesday, July 23, the Ubisoft development team took to Twitter to post a public apology directly to its Japanese fans. This apology states exactly what the team is "sorry" for, yet leaves the door open for some interpretations that are causing concern.

“Since the announcement of Assassin’s Creed Shadows, we have received many positive reactions, but also some criticism including from you, our Japanese players,” the company said in the post. “We share your passion for history and deeply respect your care for the historical and cultural integrity of your rich heritage.”

The post would continue and address specific points with “overall authenticity efforts,” “creative liberties,” and “historical inspirations.” While stating there was never an intention to present Assassin’s Creed video games as “factual representations of history or historical characters,” the post also makes it clear that the organization worked with “external consultants, historians, researchers, and internal teams at Ubisoft Japan to inform our creative choices.”

As the post continues, the team addresses everything from promotional materials to the depiction of one of the two main characters, Yasuke. The post directly apologizes for some elements in those promotional materials, but the mention and further explanation of Yasuke’s presentation raises a different question behind the purpose of the post.

“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.”

What elements you may ask? The answer to that question may be based on a situation from a few weeks ago. Earlier in July, AC Shadows faced a different controversy surrounding the use of the Sekigahara Teppotai flag, which has since been removed from promotional materials. The issue was first raised in June from Japanese gamers pointed out the flag's use. The flag was used without permission, leading to an apology from Ubisoft. It would make sense why this apology for using a cultural image without permission was issued to Japanese fans and gamers.

So why mention anything about Yasuke, if the company isn’t apologizing for the presentation of this character? It’s the last slide in this series that raises concerns about the whole point of the “apology.”

“From its inception, the series has taken creative license and incorporated fantasy elements to craft engaging and immersive experiences. The representation of Yasuke in our game is an illustration of this,” the statement reads. “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.”

The moment that Yasuke was introduced during the reveal of the game, the culture wars hit AC Shadows in full force. Several social media profiles across platforms like YouTube and Twitter flexed their fingers and cameras to express outrage over the idea of playing as a Black man in a game set in Feudal Japan. This was typically done under the guise of concern that an often-requested AC game set in this time within Japan would not feature a male Japanese protagonist. This overlooks the presence of Naoe, the Japanese female shinobi protagonist, but she is often ignored to rail against the presence of Yasuke.

It is understandable to wonder about a historical individual’s place in society. Some will argue that Yasuke was a samurai, others will argue that he was not and held another position. Records from those periods are non-existent. But why is this such an issue that nearly 100,000 people have signed petitions against this game and pushing for it to be canceled? Using terms like “DEI” and “Woke” as buzzwords to woefully hide more hateful motives. Many are concerned that those are voices that Ubisoft is apologizing to with the bulk of this public statement.

The outrage has become such a talked-about development that some believed the Japanese government has involved itself as there were reportes of a plan to investigate the game and its development. Satoshi Hamada points toward the presentation of Yasuke as an issue, even though he's shown in this same light in several other forms of entertainment. However, that stance was debunked by Sankei on July 24 that the game was not under investigation of any sort. That report was further elaborated on by Hirun Cryer of Games Radar.

In many ways, Yasuke is similar to well-known American folk heroes like Davy Crockett and John Henry, individuals who are known to have lived during early American times, but some of their accolades have become larger than life. Yasuke has been depicted as a samurai in several forms of entertainment including film, plays, comic books, manga, anime, and even prior video games such as Samurai Warriors 5, Nioh, and a character inspired by him in Guilty Gear Strive.

Yet, none of these aforementioned presentations were met with such vitriol as Assassin’s Creed Shadows. This fact brings the discourse back to the point of this being where we are in today’s society. The same voices that present the idea of character’s races being changed to support a DEI agenda, to women character models being made less attractive, are often the same voices railing against developers in such a way that causes them to push back against harassment, which Ubisoft also did in this statement. Unfortunately, statements such as the one they put out only embolden those voices to be louder against this game and any other that fits within that narrative.

Since its inception in 2007, 31 different Assassin’s Creed properties have been released or are in development, including Shadows. Every game in the series begins with a reminder that the series is a work of fiction inspired by historical events. Never once has the company had to apologize for taking liberties with historical figures. This series has taken liberties with the actions of individuals like Leonardo da Vinci, Blackbeard, Charles Dickens, Napoleon Bonaparte, Cleopatra, and several others. Never once has there been an uproar about those liberties nor an apology for them. Yasuke being the first real figure that is a playable character is the feigned basis of the pushback, but that’s just a subversion behind the real underbelly of the complaints.

Should Ubisoft have to apologize for using a flag that represents a Japanese group without their permission? Yes. Should the company have to apologize for its presentation of a historical figure that fits within the same presentation that has been used in other mediums? No. Especially when the “outcry” is tightly wrapped in a hateful agenda that is entrenched within our society today. Assassin’s Creed Shadows is set to launch on November 15, and this issue is far from over as those same outcries will further sound off as its release approaches.