The main Assassin’s Creed subreddit has warned users against debating the historical accuracy of the upcoming video game Assassin’s Creed Shadows, specifically protagonist Yasuke's status as a samurai.
Moderators of r/assassinscreed, which has over 700,000 members, locked down a post titled “There is no ‘debate’ – Yasuke was a Samurai. If you disagree, you can do that somewhere else,” due to “brigading” in the comments.
The post followed a controversial statement issued by Ubisoft to Japanese fans in which the company apologized for promotion materials it said “have caused concern” among the community.
The four-page message, posted in both English and Japanese, explained that Assassin’s Creed Shadows is not intended to be a factual representation of history. Instead, it is described as “a compelling, historical fiction set in Feudal Japan. Ubisoft added that it hoped Shadows would “spark curiosity” in players who then research the historical period the game is inspired by.
In addition to the apology regarding the marketing materials, the message also discussed Yasuke, one of Shadows’ two protagonists: “While Yasuke is depicted as a samurai in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, we acknowledge that this is a matter of debate and discussion. We have woven this carefully into our narrative and with our other lead character, the Japanese shinobi Naoe, who is equally important in the game, our dual protagonists provide players with different gameplay styles.”
While Yasuke has often been presented as a samurai in popular media, both in Japan and beyond, his depiction in Shadows has given rise to debate regarding the historical truth. The argument has lived side-by-side with criticism over Ubisoft’s decision to feature a Black man as a lead protagonist in a Japan-set Assassin’s Creed game – a backlash Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot alluded to while condemning “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 representation 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 with the setting of Feudal Japan as a backdrop.”
The mod team behind r/assassinscreed said Ubisoft’s statement “exacerbated” what it called “this tedious discussion that has been endlessly talked to death,” and gave users of the subreddit a “final reminder” of what the Assassin’s Creed franchise entails.
Here’s the r/assassinscreed mod team’s statement in full:
With the reveal of Assassin's Creed Shadows, there has been an influx of certain individuals spilling into various communities online such as this subreddit and raising arguments about "historical accuracy". As we are all exhausted of this tedious discussion that has been endlessly talked to death, not to mention exacerbated by a recent official statement from Ubisoft, we would like to give a final reminder to those participating in these debates as to what exactly this franchise entails, and why there was never any point to these discussions to begin with outside of thinly veiling bad faith intent.
Assassin's Creed is historical fiction. This means that while certain locations, events and figures may be based on reality, and can even have a slight focus on accuracy, their depictions are largely exaggerated for the sake of a more enjoyable video game. While all of our player protagonists have been fictional to date, the introduction of Yasuke has given some people the false impression that the above rule does not apply. It still does. Yasuke, who is a samurai as confirmed by multiple reputable historians around the world including from Japan, may not have held as large as a role in the real world as he does in Shadows. This is okay. It is a video game. You are not meant to use Assassin's Creed as a sourcebook for actual historical knowledge – it is meant to compel you to do your own external research after immersing you in a glimpse of authenticity.
We are not here in this community to debate on historical record. Most of us understand as fans that while these games provide us a great look into what historical settings could have felt like and have fun comparing them to actual record, we do not chase accuracy within this franchise and primarily play for other reasons. So if you are specifically here to leave comments about your displeasure about Yasuke's inclusion or various other inaccurate details that have been pointed out in Ubisoft's depiction of Feudal Japan, it is time to understand that this is not the place for this discussion and it never will be. Feel free to take your displeasures elsewhere, away from this franchise and its communities.
Any further comments attempting to dispute Yasuke's societal status, disparage his inclusion in game or containing statements bordering on concern trolling for historical accuracy will be swiftly 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 has handled historical accuracy in previous games.
The post outlines the subreddit’s firm stance on Shadows, and is a clear attempt to draw a line under what has become one of the big talking points around the game. As Eurogamer pointed out, this debate has spilled over into the real-world, with a fringe Japanese politician requesting the Japanese government comment on the matter. But so far there has been no meaningful result.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows launches November 12, 2024 for those buying the Gold, Ultimate, Deluxe Editions, or Collector's Editions, while the Standard Edition is available on November 15, 2024. You can learn more about its goals in our extensive interview with the development team, as well as our list of 50 key details.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
