The main Assassin’s Creed subreddit has warned users not to discuss the historical accuracy of the upcoming Assassin’s Creed Shadows video game, specifically protagonist Yasuke’s status as a samurai.
The moderators of r/assassinscreed, which has over 700,000 members, locked down a post titled “No ‘debate’ – Yasuke was a samurai. If you don’t agree, you can do it somewhere else,” due to “bridging” in the comments.
The post followed a controversial statement issued by Ubisoft to Japanese fans, in which the company apologized for the promotional material, which it said had “caused concern” among the community.
The four-page announcement, published in both English and Japanese, explains that Assassin’s Creed Shadows is not intended to be a factual representation of the story. Instead, it’s described as a “compelling historical fiction set in feudal Japan. Ubisoft added that it hopes Shadows will “spark curiosity” in players, who then explore the historical period from which the game is inspired.
In addition to the apology regarding the marketing materials, the announcement also discussed Yasuke, one of Shadows’ two heroes: “While Yasuke is depicted as a samurai in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, we recognize that this is a matter of debate and discussion.” We’ve woven this carefully into our narrative, and with our other lead character, the Japanese shinobi Naoe, just as important to the game, our dual characters provide players with different play styles.”
While Yasuke is often portrayed as a samurai in popular media, both in Japan and outside of Japan, his portrayal in Shadows has sparked debate over historical veracity. The argument lives side by side with criticism over Ubisoft’s decision to cast a black man as the main character in an Assassin’s Creed game set in Japan – a backlash that Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillaume alluded to as he condemned “malicious and personal online attacks.”
The statement noted that the Assassin’s Creed series has always taken “creative license and incorporated fantasy elements” into its historically inspired settings. “The introduction 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 set against the backdrop of feudal Japan.”
The mod team behind r/assassinscreed said Ubisoft’s statement “exacerbates” what it calls “this tedious discussion that endlessly talks about death,” and gave users of the subreddit “one last reminder” of what the franchise entails Assassin’s Creed.
Here’s the full statement from the r/assassinscreed mod team:
With the reveal of Assassin’s Creed Shadows, there has been an influx of certain individuals taking to various communities online, such as this subreddit, and raising arguments about “historical accuracy”. Since we’re all tired of this tedious discussion being endlessly talked to death, not to mention exacerbated by a recent official statement from Ubisoft, we’d like to give a final reminder to those involved in these debates as to what exactly this entails franchise, and why it never made sense for these discussions to begin with thinly veiled ill-intentions.
Assassin’s Creed is historical fiction. This means that while certain locations, events, and figures may be based on reality and may even have a slight emphasis on accuracy, their depictions are largely exaggerated for the sake of a more enjoyable video game. Although all of our main characters have been fictional so far, the introduction of Yasuke has given some people the false impression that the above rule does not apply. It still does. Yasuke being a samurai, as confirmed by numerous respected historians around the world, including Japan, may not have had as much of a role in the real world as he did in Shadows. This is good. It’s a video game. You’re not meant to use Assassin’s Creed as a source of real historical lore – it’s meant to force you to do your own outside research after it’s bathed you in a glimmer of authenticity.
We are not here in this community to discuss historical records. Most of us understand as fans that while these games give us a great look at what historical settings might have felt like and we can have fun comparing them to actual entries, we aren’t chasing accuracy in this franchise and play mostly for other reasons . So if you’re here specifically to leave comments regarding your displeasure with the inclusion of Yasuke or various other inaccurate details that have been pointed out in Ubisoft’s depiction of feudal Japan, it’s time to realize that this is not the place for this discussion and I never will be. Feel free to take your displeasure elsewhere, away from this franchise and its communities.
Any additional comments that attempt to challenge Yasuke’s public status, downplay his inclusion in the game, or contain statements bordering on trollish concern for historical accuracy will be immediately removed and met with a ban.
The mod team also provided a list of links to reddit posts explaining how the Assassin’s Creed series handles historical accuracy in previous games.
The post outlines the subreddit’s strong stance on Shadows and is a clear attempt to draw a line under what has become one of the big talking points surrounding the game. As Eurogamer pointed out, this debate has spilled over into the real world, with a fringe Japanese politician asking the Japanese government for comment on the matter. But so far no meaningful result.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows launches on November 12, 2024 for those who purchase Gold, Ultimate, Deluxe Editionsor Collector’s Editions, while the Standard Edition is available on November 15, 2024. You can learn more about its goals at our extensive interview with the development teamas well as our list of 50 key details.
Wesley is the UK news editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can contact Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or privately at wyp100@proton.me.
