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Ubisoft’sAssassin’s Creed Shadowsis the latest controversial battleground. This time, people online are now arguing that the studio has disrespected Japanese culture by allowing players to destroy a shrine in the game. This is part of a criticism of the game’s alleged historical inaccuracies. But since when hasAssassin’s Creedbeen about accuracy?
Have people forgotten the past games of the franchise? Remember when the final fight ofAssassin’s Creed 2was a literal fistfight with Pope Alexander VI? This selective outrage is annoying to see and appears to be entangled with deeper issues, including racism and the ongoing culture war surrounding diversity in gaming.
Assassin’s Creed Shadowsis under a lot of fire online
The recent controversy has started from a viral clip showing Yasuke seemingly destroying a shrine inAssassin’s Creed Shadows. A lot of people are already calling thisan act of cultural disrespect, accusing Ubisoft of exploiting Japanese history while failing to honor its significance. But like this user on X commented, “You literally control the buttons you press.”
You literally control the buttons you press. If you decided to do that, that speaks more about you than the actual game.
Assassin’s Creedhas always been about our choices as the player, and blaming Ubisoft for what a player chooses to do in-game is disingenuous. The complaints about historical inaccuracy forShadowshave been loud but they aren’t new to the franchise.Assassin’s Creed 2famously depicted a battle between protagonist Ezio Auditore and Pope Alexander VI, complete with a fistfight inside the Vatican.
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Other games of the franchise have even included mythological elements, from fighting the Minotaur inOdysseyto visiting Atlantis. Ubisoft has always brought together history and fiction for narrative and gameplay purposes. So why isAC Shadowsgetting so much more hate? It feels like the criticism isn’t really about historical accuracy at all.
Many other games have done it before, so why the outcry now?
There seems to bea selective concern for historical accuracywhen it comes toAC Shadows. For instance,Ghost of Tsushimafeatured katanas despite them not being invented until after its setting, yet the game received widespread praise. Similarly,Like A Dragon: Ishintook liberties with real historical figures without any backlash.
LMAORewriting history? It takes a few seconds to boot up any Assassin’s Creed game for it to tell you it’s a work of fiction that’s INSPIRED by history.Not once do the games say “Oh hey this is 100% how it happened. Deal with it"You think they rewrote history giving Jack…
The Ubisoft franchise itself has changed history since the start. So why is it that historical accuracy has become a big point of debate? It first started when Ubisoft that the protagonist ofAC Shadowswould be Yasuke, a real historical figure who served under Oda Nobunaga. People argued that his portrayal as a samurai is inaccurate. But that has since beendisproved.
“Everyone in the dev team was very excited to offer that choice”: Before Assassin’s Creed Shadows, It Was Odyssey That Courted Controversy With 1 Story Choice
EveryAssassin’s Creedgame has the same disclaimer when you play it that says “Inspired by historical events and characters, this work of fiction was designed, developed, and produced by a multicultural team of various beliefs, sexual orientations, and gender identities.” But then there’s the fact that the devs also advertised “historical fidelity” in an interview forAC Shadows.
This whole hubbub feels like it’s not about history but about perpetuating culture war debates. We saw similar situations whenStellar Bladeand other titles featuring diverse characters came out. So it’s really just a wildfire of random opinions right now.
Daniel Royte
Gaming Writer
Articles Published :1368
As part of the FandomWire team, Daniel has followed the hero-shooter genre closely with a focus on titles like VALORANT, Apex Legends, and Marvel Rivals. You can also find him providing insight on the latest AAA titles from Elden Ring to GTA 6 and exploring the world of gacha games like Genshin Impact and Wuthering Waves. With more than 1,000 articles under his belt, you’ll need to look no further for a unique insight into every situation.If he’s not looking for the latest video game news, you’ll find him cheering on Ferrari in the race tracks of Formula 1 or at the theatres for the latest MCU releases.
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Assassin’s Creed ShadowsUbisoft
