As the countdown to Assassin’s Creed: Shadows’ March 20th release continues, the anticipation isn’t driven by excitement but by a collective eagerness to watch Ubisoft’s latest disaster implode in real-time.
The game, already drowning in controversy, has become a symbol of unchecked corporate arrogance, cultural insensitivity, and ESG-driven historical revisionism.
Ubisoft’s blatant attempt to rewrite history, forcing a samurai narrative onto Yasuke, a figure with no documented martial prowess has ignited a global backlash. Now, Japanese media have joined the chorus of criticism, with major outlets condemning the game’s disrespectful depiction of Japan’s history and traditions.
The French gaming giant, already struggling with mass layoffs, financial instability, and internal disarray, now faces yet another crisis. Sankei Shimbun, one of Japan’s most prominent newspapers, has slammed Assassin’s Creed: Shadows for its egregious cultural insensitivity, particularly its unauthorized and offensive portrayal of sacred family shrines.
Set during Japan’s Warring States period, Assassin’s Creed: Shadows casts Yasuke, a Black man from Africa, as a supposed samurai under Oda Nobunaga, despite the fact that historical records barely mention him beyond his role as a retainer.
That hasn’t stopped Jewish-English author Thomas Lockley from fabricating his own version of history, aggressively pushing the myth of Yasuke as a fully-fledged samurai while citing himself as a credible source and conveniently “correcting” Wikipedia entries to support his claims, false claims that are now regurgitated by corporations as being indefensibly true.
In today’s social climate, obsessed with diversity and inclusivity, the fabricated narrative of one man has become the golden ticket for corporate giants, with Ubisoft embracing Lockley’s fantasy as undeniable truth.
Assassin’s Creed: Shadows marks the first time in the franchise’s history that a real historical figure is made playable, yet the figure in question is a Black man in Feudal Japan, one who, ironically, barely qualifies as a historical figure at all.
Ubisoft has taken this tenuous figure and reimagined him as a warrior, despite the complete lack of credible evidence to support such a claim.
In today’s climate, dominated by Environmental Social Governance and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity, Yasuke has become a pawn for Ubisoft to push forced diversity into their products. The company presents him as a Black protagonist in a game set in 1600s Japan, before the country’s unification, all under the pretense of historical authenticity despite the glaring lack of evidence supporting such a narrative.
Ubisoft openly admitted that they deliberately chose a non-Japanese figure as their samurai for Assassin’s Creed: Shadows, echoing the game’s lead writer, who once declared, “There are more than enough games with white male protagonists.”
This heavy-handed approach to diversity and inclusivity has all but doomed the game, as the company prioritizes ticking representation boxes, focusing on so-called “marginalized” identities over historical accuracy or genuine storytelling as the games industry does away with heterosexuality and White people.
Simply put, Yasuke has been reduced to a convenient tool for pushing racially charged propaganda, which is precisely why the game’s protagonist choice has ignited relentless backlash from consumers over its blatant historical inaccuracy.
Now, however, the outrage isn’t just coming from global audiences, the Japanese themselves have officially entered the discussion and they are not pleased.
Recently, the game has come under fire once again for allowing players to desecrate, attack, and destroy Japanese shrines and Buddhist temples, sacred symbols deeply ingrained in Japan’s cultural and spiritual identity.
In reality, these temples weren’t just places of worship; they often provided sanctuary, food, and protection to those fleeing the likes of bandits or even shogunate authorities.
Defiling such sites would be considered an act of sacrilege, unless you happened to piss off a Daimyo.
Yet, in Assassin’s Creed: Shadows, players are freely able to lay waste to these revered spaces, smashing altars and sacred artifacts without consequence. Adding to the outrage is the revelation that many of these temples and shrines aren’t state-owned but are instead private, family-owned properties.
Ubisoft never sought permission from these families to feature their sacred sites in the game, let alone to make them destructible turning what could have been a historical setting into an insult wrapped in corporate negligence.
According to Sankei Shimbun, one of the shrines at the center of the controversy is the Harima Province Sosha Itatehyozu Shrine in Himeji City, a sacred site with a history spanning over 1,400 years. The backlash erupted when early gameplay footage surfaced online, depicting Yasuke entering the shrine and wreaking havoc, desecrating sacred altars in the process.
Sankei Shimbun reports that social media users were quick to condemn the scene, with reactions such as, “This is a terrible disrespect to Japanese culture,” “It’s an insult to Shinto,” and “This is completely insensitive.”
When asked whether Ubisoft had reached out for permission to use the shrine in the game, a representative flatly stated, “No. If they had, we would have refused.” While declining to elaborate on what actions may be taken, the representative hinted at the possibility of seeking the shrine’s removal from the game.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson from the Association of Shinto Shrines denied online speculation that the organization had begun formal action against Ubisoft, though the growing backlash suggests the situation is far from over.
In the video, the shrine was identified as “Itatehyozu Shrine,” a clear reference to the real location. When asked for comment, a representative from the shrine expressed their outrage, stating, “If we had been asked, we would have declined permission,” emphasizing that they had never granted Ubisoft access to depict their sacred space in the game had they rightfully been approached.
In contrast, Ghost of Tsushima, a game with gameplay similar to Assassin’s Creed was praised for its historical accuracy and deep respect for Japanese culture. Its dedication to authenticity was so well-regarded that lead developers Nate Fox and Jason Connell were named official tourism ambassadors of Tsushima, Nagasaki, for bringing global awareness to the island’s history.
Unlike Assassin’s Creed: Shadows, Ghost of Tsushima showed reverence for sacred sites by disabling the use of weapons when players entered shrine areas, reinforcing the cultural significance of these locations rather than turning them into playgrounds for destruction.
This isn’t the first time Assassin’s Creed: Shadows has sparked controversy in Japan. According to Sankei Shimbun, Todaiji Temple in Nara, renowned for its grand Buddhist architecture was also spotted in the game’s promotional footage. While Ubisoft has claimed to be in discussions with the temple, whether any agreement was actually reached remains unclear.
The uproar over Assassin’s Creed: Shadows‘ use of real-world locations underscores Ubisoft’s blatant disregard for intellectual property rights and cultural sensitivity. Critics speculate that the company is exploiting these sites without permission to manufacture a false sense of “authenticity,” regardless of the harm it inflicts on the actual owners and cultural heritage.
This disregard is especially glaring given that in past Assassin’s Creed titles, attacking civilians or desecrating sacred locations would trigger desynchronization, yet here, players are seemingly encouraged to destroy revered shrines with no consequence.
Assassin’s Creed: Shadows is an exceptionally brutal and gore-filled experience, allowing players to overpower, maim, and decapitate rival samurai as a towering Black warrior in medieval Japan, civilians included.
The hypocrisy becomes even more apparent when compared to past entries like Assassin’s Creed Origins, where harming Egypt’s sacred cats would trigger desynchronization, effectively punishing the player for disrespecting cultural symbols.
Yet in Shadows, players are given free rein to desecrate Japanese shrines and temples without consequence, further highlighting Ubisoft’s blatant double standards and utter contempt for Japan as a whole.
Given the complete lack of evidence supporting Yasuke’s role as a samurai, Assassin’s Creed: Shadows has become a lightning rod for criticism. Yet, many continue to bury their heads in the sand, dismissing the backlash with the tired excuse that “it’s just a game” or “it’s a work of fiction.”
And yet, these same people who obsess over the “morality” of fictional character depictions are suddenly silent when real-world cultural heritage is trampled on. What they fail to grasp is that because it’s a game, Ubisoft is facing a very real legal disaster.
Intellectual Property law applies here, and the families who own these shrines, actual people with legal rights were never asked for permission. Instead, they had to learn through publicly uploaded footage circulating the internet that their sacred sites were being exploited, disrespected, and outright desecrated in Assassin’s Creed: Shadows.
With outrage now spreading across Japan, this isn’t just a cultural scandal, it’s a lawsuit waiting to happen.
Compounding the growing backlash are the numerous culturally insensitive design choices that have surfaced in the game’s early previews. One particularly glaring example shows cherry blossoms in full bloom alongside fresh watermelons, an absurd combination that completely disregards both historical timelines and the natural growing seasons of Japan.
Watermelon, a summer fruit, wasn’t even introduced to Japan until the Edo period, making its presence an anachronistic blunder in a game set during the Sengoku era.
Despite the outcry, Ubisoft has failed to provide any meaningful response, even when Sankei Shimbun reached out for comment. This continued silence only fuels suspicions that Ubisoft is more concerned with pushing ideological and marketing agendas than respecting cultural accuracy.
Unlike historical fiction of the past, which was rooted in actual history, Assassin’s Creed: Shadows seems to be more focused on checking diversity boxes than on creating a game that has any grounding in reality.
The controversy surrounding Assassin’s Creed: Shadows highlights the growing divide between Ubisoft and its abandoning audience, especially in Japan. The game’s large scale misrepresentation of Japanese culture, historical inaccuracies, and unauthorized use of sacred locations have sparked outrage both at home and abroad.
Even overseas fans are voicing their concerns about Yasuke’s portrayal and the game’s cultural insensitivity, with an online petition calling for its cancellation gaining significant traction.
As the March release date draws nearer, Ubisoft’s stubborn refusal to address the glaring issues by pulling Assassin’s Creed: Shadows only tightens the noose around its neck.
The company, long bogged down by its adherence to woke ideology, appears ready to seal its fate with this ill-fated release. After the disastrous launch of Star Wars Outlaws, Ubisoft has been scrambling to offload studios and projects, and the fallout from Shadows could very well signal the end of the company if it bombs in the open market.
Beyond poor sales, the potential legal consequences stemming from their cultural insensitivity toward Japan, regarding the unauthorized use of sacred sites could open a massive can of worms. It would be an undeniable case of racial prejudice and historical vandalism that Ubisoft can’t afford on its deathbed as stock prices are at five-year lows as the likes of Tencent are ready to feast upon its corpse.
What these die-hard defenders don’t understand is that the issue isn’t just about “destroying temples” in the game, it’s about real locations with real owners who have the legal rights to them. Ubisoft are using real-world cultural and religious sites without permission, and that has legal and ethical consequences.
The families and organizations that own these shrines are still around, and they weren’t even consulted, now they’re finding out in the worst way possible that their religious symbols are being virtually destroyed by a makeshift Black “samurai.”
The shrine owners are furious, and they never gave Ubisoft permission to use their sacred sites. This is a legal nightmare in the making. Given the current climate in Japan regarding foreigners, Ubisoft’s situation is even worse. It’s entirely possible that the company won’t die from poor sales alone; it could very well be taken down by lawsuits.
Ubisoft has repeatedly claimed to have hired consultants to ensure the game’s “authentic” representation of Japan, yet they can’t even get basic details right, like mixing up the seasons by showcasing cherry blossoms alongside watermelon, a fruit that wasn’t even available during the Sengoku period specifically for its Black protagonist.
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. There’s the fact that Ubisoft pulled out of the Tokyo Game Show last year, which I believed was due to the outrage over the offensive one-legged torii gate figurine for the game, which depicts a destroyed sacred symbol of Japan, an inherently disrespectful gesture especially given the fact the figure itself could’ve easily had a normal torii.
But it’s much more likely that Ubisoft pulled out of the Tokyo Game Show because of the depictions of destructible shrines in Assassin’s Creed: Shadows. The game was supposed to have a demo there, with journalists and the press getting hands-on access.
It’s almost certain that local attendees would have discovered these shrines in the game, though it’s unlikely they would have known right away that players could destroy them.
The backlash from Japanese audiences would have been immediate, and Ubisoft likely realized the potential cultural disaster on their hands.
Then there’s the shameless attempt to pass off a replica sword from One Piece as Yasuke’s real katana, further showcasing their cultural cluelessness. Oh, and let’s not forget the plagiarism scandal, where Ubisoft was caught using AI-generated artwork that copied Japanese historical artifacts.
Their claims of “authentic” consultancy flew right out the window the moment they decided to push Thomas Lockley’s pro-Black fantasy, rewriting a historically insignificant Black man into the role of a samurai warrior he never was, purely for ESG investment backing.
With each misstep, Assassin’s Creed: Shadows inches closer to becoming a full-blown disaster, not just in terms of cultural insensitivity, but now as a potential legal catastrophe that could very well spell the end of Ubisoft. Honestly, if that’s how it plays out, it’s well deserved
