November will see the release of “Assassin’s Creed Shadows” by Ubisoft, the newest installment in a series of video games set in several historical eras throughout the globe.
In “Shadows,” players assume the roles of two protagonists: the black samurai Yasuke, who is portrayed as a real individual from the 16th century who was abducted by Portuguese slave traders on the coast of east Africa and transported to Japan, and the female assassin Naoe.
A month after game developer Ubisoft released a clip showcasing the protagonist, Japanese critics bemoaned a “serious lack of historical accuracy and cultural respect” and started a petition on June 19 2024.
Factual mistakes and “a serious insult to Japanese culture and history that can be understood as racism” toward Asians were attributed by the article’s author to Ubisoft.
The petition said that Yasuke had never been granted the title of samurai, even if it did not deny his existence. almost 95,000 individuals had signed it.
The appeal urged Ubisoft, a French company, to pause the game’s release and pay more attention to the customs and culture of Japan.
The developers of the game replied, explaining its “creative liberties and historical inspirations” in a letter to the “esteemed Japanese community.”
The message read, “Since Assassin’s Creed Shadows was announced, we have received many positive reactions, but we have also received some criticism, including from you, our Japanese players.”
“We have never intended for any of our Assassin’s Creed games—including Assassin’s Creed Shadows—to be presented as accurate depictions of historical events or figures from history,” the statement read.
The designers stated that in order “to inform our creative choices,” they worked with internal Ubisoft Japan teams, consultants, historians, and researchers.
“We understand that some aspects of our promotional materials have raised concerns within the Japanese community despite our persistent efforts. We genuinely apologize for this.
While the legendary warrior is “fascinating and we’d like to know a lot more about him, we don’t know much and that makes him the subject of every fantasy,” samurai specialist Julien Peltier told AFP in March.
“While Yasuke is depicted as a samurai in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, we acknowledge that this is a matter of debate and discussion”.
The world of “Assassin’s Creed” is based in medieval times, the Crusades, revolutionary France, and ancient Egypt.
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