Assassin’s Creed Shadowshas beendelayed by five months to February 2025, which I assume you already knew. If not, sorry for breaking the news so bluntly. Themain thing this delay buys it is time for the PC version to be readyfor launch at the same time, but it also allows for some other tweaks to be made to the game’s presentation and gameplay. However, one thing that will absolutely not happen is for Yasuke to be written out of the story.
Yasuke is the main character of Shadows, which again, I assume you knew. He’s also Black, which comes with the same assumption. He was a real historical figure in feudal Japan, a fact around which there is no debate. There is some debate over what sort of rank he achieved serving in the samurai forces, but if you think misgivings about the complex minutiae of the writings from the Sengoku period is the real reason why Yasuke has become a controversial figure, I’ve got a Guzei bridge to sell you.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows Was Not Prepared For The Reception It Got
The true reason is racism.Some people don’t like the idea of playing as a Black man, and that has spiralled. But I don’t think it’s that simple either. Many of the chief agitators are not necessarily motivated purely by racism, but in the knowledge that acting outraged about Yasuke is a quick ticket to clout and clicks. Of course, at a certain point, you have to wonder what the difference is.
It’s less like this strategy is working, and more that Shadows is an easy target. The game has struggled to make much of an impact above the noise, withmixed messagingfrom Ubisoft and uninspiring visuals. Shadows is aiming for the same levels of photorealism as best-in-class games likeHorizonorGhost of Tsushima, but falls short. Combat also looks clunky andtypical of an Assassin’s Creed formulathat has failed to evolve much sinceOdyssey, if not longer. I think it’s unfair that Shadows is being weighed down by trolls disguising their animosity with the respectable gloss of historical accuracy, but there’s also not a lot I’ve seen that makes me want to go to bat for it, either.
This puts it in a tough position. It cannot, and should not, remove Yasuke or alter much to the narrative - in post, this is one of the hardest things to fix in gaming as it requires new animations, new cutscenes, and new lines recorded, and that’s before you even get to what might need to be tweaked with levels, progression, and gameplay design if you airlift out the central character or diminish his role.
Ubisoft Needs To Stay The Narrative Course
However, there will be some pressure withinUbisoftto limit Yasuke’s involvement as best they can, to cater to these crowds baying for blood, to appease those who hate the game the most. These seem to be the loudest critics, and some will think if only these people can be gotten on side, it will be smooth sailing.
But there is no way to do that. These people have not been reasoned into their views, and are not being truthful about them, and thus cannot be reasoned out. A far better strategy would be to look at why no one else seems to care about Shadows beyond those screaming for its head on a pike. It won’t keep the mob from your door but it may recruit defenders to your cause.
‘Historical accuracy’ is already being cited as a reason for the delay, but this likely means smaller details like sigils and minor textual references, not Yasuke’s presence. It’s a move designed to rebuff an argument that is not being made in good faith, and thus is a waste of time.
Shadows will not escape the weight of the Assassin’s Creed formula, but modernising combat to offer higher quality and control over endless upgrades and special attacks that all feel the same, would be a start. The demo I saw atSGF pushed elements of immersive sim gameplay, manipulating lights and using the weather, butneither felt fully realised. Lights were turned off without characters moving, removing the ‘immersive’ from the sim, and the weather never had a noticeable impact on gameplay despite being pushed hard as a selling point. Make gameplay more tactile and give the weather purpose, and you’re on the way to making Shadows feel like a modern, better version ofAssassin’s Creed.
Right now, all of the noise is being made by the anti-woke cabal. There aren’t many of them, relatively speaking, but they’re the only ones who care about Shadows enough to make any noise at all. Removing Yasuke is impossible, buttrying to find a compromise with these peoplewill not silence their songs, only embolden them. Ubisoft needs to use this delay to encourage others to rally to its side and drown the noise out, otherwise their songs will be just as loud when Shadows launches next February.
