Ubisoft Accused of Not Doing Proper Research for Assassin’s Creed Shadows

The Japanese government, represented by Satoshi Hamada, has expressed serious concerns about the upcoming Assassin’s Creed Shadows, pointing to changes and inaccuracies in the way Japanese history is portrayed. Hamada plans to bring this issue to the Japanase Diet, the country’s legislative body. He also suspects that generative AI is being misused to create images appropriate to the historical period.

Controversy Grows Over Assassin’s Creed Shadows

Assassin’s Creed Shadows has faced significant backlash and controversy since its release. Now that the Japanese government is involved, things are not looking good for Ubisoft. Hamada recently expressed his concerns on Twitter, saying, “We received a report about Japanese history being altered by a French game company.”

In a series of Tweets, Hamada criticized Ubisoft for not acknowledging its mistakes. He pointed out mistakes in the gameplay video, such as “terrible seasons, terrible buildings, and terrible attitudes”. He also expressed concern that the AI trained on historical photographs created inaccurate representations of Japanese culture. The article also criticizes the game’s inadvertent inclusion of Chinese subtitles and blames Ubisoft for not fixing these errors.

Hamada mentioned his plan to closely examine how Yasuke, a black man who serves Nobunaga Oda, is portrayed in the game. He provided more screenshots of feedback received on this, highlighting broader concerns about cultural appropriateness and sensitivity. This led to a petition with over 81,000 signatures demanding that Ubisoft cancel the game’s release. There are also concerns about how social norms and behaviors are portrayed.

In the trailer, characters are depicted sitting in seiza, a formal posture that became common during the Tokugawa period, rather than the cross-legged position typical of the Sengoku period. These inaccuracies have led to accusations that Ubisoft did not adequately consult Japanese historians and cultural experts during the game’s development.

A Capcom developer recently stated that criticizing Ubisoft over Assassin’s Creed Shadows is pointless because he believes it’s a fantasy world, not reality. Ubisoft’s CEO also condemned the hate and criticism their new game has received.

It will be interesting to see how the company handles the situation now that the Japanese government is involved.

Read More: Assassin’s Creed Shadows Gameplay Revealed