Assassin’s Creed Shadows, a new installment of the historical action-adventure stealth series from Ubisoft that takes place in feudal Japan and introduces two new protagonists, including what is said to be the franchise’s first Assassin to be based on a real-life character—Yasuke—should be canceled, according to a new change.org petition from Japan that is calling out the game’s “lack of historical accuracy and cultural respect.” The petition, which was started last month and has 30,181 signatures at the time of this posting, is close to its next goal, with over 12,000 people having signed today.
The creator of the petition writes:
- “Recently, the lack of historical accuracy and cultural respect has been a serious issue regarding the upcoming game ‘Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ by game developer Ubisoft.”
- “The game is based on Japanese samurai and ignores the fact that samurai were a higher class of warrior class and should have been ‘gokenin’ or servants of nobles.”
- “In fact, the first European to hold the title of samurai, William Adams (Miura Anjin), served Tokugawa Ieyasu as a 250 koku hatamoto.”
- “In this history, Ubisoft continues to misunderstand the nature and role of samurai. This is a serious insult to Japanese culture and history, and may also be linked to Asian racism.”
- “We call on Ubisoft to immediately cancel the release of ‘Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ and show sincere research and respect for Japanese history and culture.”
- “Sign this petition to let Ubisoft know the importance of cultural respect and historical accuracy.”
The count as of this writing:
Ubisoft on Yasuke:
The decision to include a playable, real-life historical figure of this era in Assassins’ Creed Shadows was two-fold: Ubisoft Quebec wanted to include a Samurai, and Yasuke’s story was open-ended enough to allow for creativity; there are still plenty of questions and speculation surrounding him. The fascinating facts, though, were undisputable: of African origin, he arrived in Japan enslaved by the Portuguese; he impressed with size, strength, and wits; he served under the Japanese daimyo Oda Nobunaga. There must have been something exceptional about Yasuke to succeed in the service of a personality like Nobunaga’s, the team explains, and the goal has been to expound on this in Assassin’s Creed Shadows through his curiosity, openness, respect for values and tradition, valor, warmth, and charisma.
He also offers a unique perspective on the period: players can discover Japan alongside him. On one hand, he serves as a warning for the colonizing threat that the Portuguese present, and on the other, he adapted and thrived in Japan, and can be viewed as an example of the meritocratic structure established under Nobunaga. In Assassin’s Creed Shadows, his historical story is established, and then developed and expanded from that point (the team won’t spoil how he’s linked to Assassin’s Creed’s lore; players will have to play the game to find out).
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