Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed: Shadows, the latest entry in its flagship franchise, has reignited a familiar firestorm over historical authenticity. Set in feudal Japan, the studio’s choice of a Black samurai protagonist—inspired by the enigmatic 16th-century figure Yasuke—has drawn accusations of revisionism and woke tokenism. However, this controversy is nothing new for the franchise. From Revolutionary France to Ancient Greece, Assassin’s Creed has long balanced fact and fiction—with more or less success—often sparking debates about who gets to tell history’s stories, and whether it is worth sacrificing historic accuracy for inclusion or creative choices. For Ubisoft, now balancing on the edge of financial and reputational collapse, Shadows is not just another game—it is a desperate gambit to salvage a crumbling empire.
The backlash over Shadows centres on one of its protagonists, a black samurai. While historical records confirm the existence of Yasuke, an African man who served under the warlord Oda Nobunaga, his status as a full-fledged samurai remains debated by many historians. Critics argue Ubisoft is inflating his role to fit modern diversity mandates, accusing the studio of prioritizing ideology over Japan’s insular feudal history. Many have framed the decision as emblematic of woke culture killing gaming, echoing broader culture-war rhetoric.
The issue of woke culture in games has been at the centre of debates about diversity and representation in recent years, often as a clash between progressive inclusion and historical or artistic authenticity. Critics argue that wokeness leads to forced diversity, citing examples like Battlefield V’s inclusion of female soldiers in WWII settings, which sparked backlash for historical inaccuracy, or The Last of Us Part II’s LGBTQ+ narrative, accused by some of prioritizing ideology over storytelling. Conversely, supporters view these choices as overdue steps toward broader representation, pointing to games like Overwatch and Life Is Strange, which celebrate diverse characters without controversy, as they are part of their respective universes, but not the focus of them. The divide underscores gaming’s struggle to balance creative expression with evolving cultural expectations.
Nevertheless, the tension between creative liberty and historical fidelity is baked into Assassin’s Creed’s DNA. The franchise has always woven fictional narratives into real-world events, a formula that has both enchanted players and provoked scholars. Ubisoft’s response to the Shadows debate—reiterating that the series is ‘historical fantasy’—mirrors its defence of past creative choices. The company insists it seeks to highlight marginalized voices, but sceptics see a pattern of pandering.
Assassin’s Creed’s history is riddled with clashes over representation and accuracy. 2014’s Assassin’s Creed: Unity, set during the French Revolution, faced criticism for whitewashing the era’s racial diversity. While revolutionary Haiti’s Black leaders like Toussaint Louverture were sidelined, the game’s Parisian crowds featured few people of colour, despite France’s colonial ties—almost the exact opposite of the issues they are having now. Historians noted the omission, but Ubisoft defended its focus on ‘broader European narratives.’
Similarly, 2015’s Syndicate drew ire for its portrayal of Victorian London. The game included a playable female protagonist, Evie Frye, but glossed over the era’s systemic sexism. Meanwhile, its sanitized the depiction of industrialization—downplaying child labour and poverty—, leading to accusations of romanticizing colonialism. Later titles like Origins (2017) and Odyssey (2018) faced scrutiny for their handling of ancient Egyptian and Greek societies, with some scholars praising their architectural detail while lamenting flattened cultural depictions.
The series’ most pointed debate erupted over 2020’s Valhalla, which allowed players to customize their Viking raider’s gender. While some applauded the inclusivity, others argued it undermined the historical realities of gender roles in Norse society. Ubisoft’s developers argued that the Animus (the franchise’s sci-fi framing device) justified such flexibility, but critics saw it as a hollow compromise between authenticity and modern sensibilities.
The stakes for Shadows are amplified by Ubisoft’s precarious state. Once a titan of open-world gaming, the company has suffered a cascade of setbacks. Financial reports reveal a 500 million dollar revenue shortfall in 2023, driven by underperforming releases like Skull and Bones and what can only be described as the live-service flop XDefiant. Layoffs, studio closures, and cancelled projects have practically confirmed that Ubisoft is fighting for survival, hence, it is all or nothing with Shadows.
The company’s reputation has also been scarred by workplace scandals. In 2020 allegations of systemic sexual misconduct and toxic management led to the ousting of several executives, but trust in Ubisoft’s leadership has never fully recovered. Combined with growing fatigue over bloated Assassin’s Creed titles and competition from rivals like Elden Ring, the franchise’s future hinges on Shadows resonating with both fans and critics, which is hardly an easy task for any studio.
The discourse around Shadows reflects a broader industry reckoning. Debates over diversity in games often devolve into shouting matches, with some players viewing inclusivity as revisionism and others as progress. Ubisoft’s predicament mirrors Hollywood’s struggles: how to honour history while making it relatable to modern audiences. However, Hollywood has been know to go too far regarding inclusivity, while for the gaming industry, this is a relatively new struggle.
Yet the company’s insistence on blending fact and fiction has always been its hallmark. The first Assassin’s Creed (2007) reimagined the Crusades with a secret war between Templars and Assassins, drawing praise for its ambition but criticism for its portrayal of Islamic societies. 15 years later, the same creative risks now unfold in an era of heightened sensitivity—and Ubisoft’s margin for error is razor-thin.
Assassin’s Creed: Shadows is more than a pivot point for Ubisoft—it is a reflection of gaming’s eternal struggle to interpret the past. The Yasuke controversy echoes the franchise’s long-standing tightrope walk between education and entertainment. For Ubisoft, the gamble is existential: Can a black samurai breathe new life into a struggling series, or will accusations of historical betrayal deepen its decline?
It is ultimately impossible to predict what the reception of the game will be on release. The choice of a protagonist is always a controversial point in any video game, as it can make or break the experience for the player base. The most important factor is whether the game is good, plain and simple. Whether one can accept Yasuke as a true representation of what we know based on the scarce records that survived about him remains a different question for a number of reasons.
Ubisoft might be throwing a hail-mary, however, if the game engine, the story and the graphics are as shockingly good as they were when the first game of the franchise was released, it can be expected that the game will be successful. Nevertheless, there will be bias by a lot of players and critics even before playing the game as a result of the company’s ‘creative choices’ in portraying history.
Early reviews from established gaming sites are already pouring in, and so far they are mostly positive. However, it is imperative to note that in the same way as it often is with Hollywood movies, the early critic reviews can differ immensely from what the average consumer decides to themselves upon the actual release.
As the company stares down bankruptcy, Shadows also poses a philosophical question: Who owns history? Ubisoft’s answer has always been: ‘Everyone.’ However, historians tend to disagree. The Assassins and Templars of old fought over control of reality; now, Ubisoft battles for its place in a world where history itself is the ultimate prize.
All images used are scheenshots from the game Assassin’s Creed: Shadows by Ubisoft.
