Go figure that the western developers with White guilt who are developing the most criticized “woke” game of 2024 are mentally fragile.
We’ve already extensively covered Ubisoft’s upcoming project, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, set in feudal Japan. The problem is that the franchise has always ensured its playable protagonists are ethnically representative of the game’s setting. Assassin’s Creed Shadows, however, aims to break this tradition by introducing a “real-life” figure as a playable character for the first time.
This historical figure, who barely merits a footnote in Japan’s most storied era, the Sengoku period, is “Yasuke,” a mythical Black man taken in by Oda Nobunaga after being abandoned in Japan. That’s essentially the extent of the historical evidence we have about him.
Historical records suggest that Yasuke was merely a sword bearer, akin to a golf caddy, who followed Nobunaga around carrying his sword for when it was needed. Other evidence suggests he was paraded around naked for the amusement of others, like a jester.
Despite this, the Western world has latched onto his story, distorting Japan’s most iconic era by presenting Yasuke as if he were the world’s first non-native, Black samurai.
Gamers quickly caught on to Ubisoft’s motivations, especially after internal messages surfaced revealing the company’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, claiming DEI was in their DNA. This is technically true, given that their games have historically featured characters from varied backgrounds, defying norms since the company’s inception.
The difference between the creative choices in Prince of Persia or previous installments of Assassin’s Creed set in America, Italy, France, Greece, Baghdad, and England is that those earlier settings weren’t forced for the sake of diversity and inclusion.
Ubisoft did, however, attempt to blackwash Egypt, portraying it as if it were primarily inhabited by Black people, but let’s set that aside for now.
Ubisoft’s bold decision to include Yasuke as a mythical Black samurai seems driven by a desire to have a non-Japanese protagonist in Japan’s most iconic historical period, aligning with their DEI goals. They hide behind Yasuke’s historical insignificance to deflect accusations of anti-Japanese racism or forced inclusivity.
Instead of authentically representing Japanese culture, Ubisoft is promoting a supposed “historical figure” in the form of a Black samurai in feudal Japan. Rather than featuring Yasuke as a side character alongside his master, Nobunaga, this decision appears driven by a desire for inclusivity or perhaps as a twisted joke. It seems designed to shift players’ focus to the game’s secondary protagonist, a female shinobi named Naoe.
Given that many players of recent Assassin’s Creed installments haven’t shown much interest in female secondary protagonists, this might be Ubisoft’s way of forcing them to engage with Naoe the ninja instead.
The developers of Assassin’s Creed Shadows are from Ubisoft’s Quebec division, based in Canada. Previously, we reported that the game’s lead writer, a White woman named Alissa Ralph, expressed she was “beaming with pride” following the announcement.
Coincidentally, she has connections on Twitter to Sweet Baby Inc, a group exposed for pressuring the Chinese developers of Game Science. They reportedly demanded $7 million in consultancy fees to disrupt the creative process of Black Myth: Wukong by forcing diversity and inclusive tropes into the game.
Additionally, the senior writer for Assassin’s Creed Shadows is Giles Armstrong, another Western individual. He has previously tweeted about the gaming industry having too many White men as the only playable characters.
Giles also responded to Game Devs of Color several years ago, stating that “game writing is a tough field” due to “all the privileges of being a cis White male.”
It’s evident that the Western developers at Ubisoft’s Quebec studio are displaying significant White fragility. This is why they’ve disrespected Japan’s heritage and culture by forcing a supposed historical figure, one that fits the diversity criteria into a game set in a Japanese backdrop that fans have been demanding for years.
Throughout the gameplay footage, you can see the lumbering figure of Yasuke, a Black man in feudal Japan, maiming and slaughtering his way through Japanese enemies, dismembering and decapitating them while “authentic” Japanese orchestral music plays. However, this music has been remixed with trap/EDM, adding a modernized and inclusive flavor.
Additionally, after decapitating and disemboweling enemy forces, Yasuke delivers quirky dialogue as if he were a superhero, with lines like “I am justice.” Throughout the gameplay presented by Ubisoft, ordinary citizens bow in the presence of the mighty samurai Yasuke. While this trope, shared with Ghost of Tsushima, adds authenticity, it feels misplaced given the protagonist.
Japanese consumers are outraged by Ubisoft’s blatant disrespect and racial prejudice against Japan and its significant history. Countless users on social platforms are berating the game, claiming that Assassin’s Creed Shadows is discriminatory against their country.
They criticize the game’s main protagonist, a Black samurai slaughtering Japanese people, as an unrepresentative and insignificant historical figure.
Many people were displeased with this gameplay footage, particularly the EDM mixed with Japanese ethnic tunes. Elon Musk, who has a fetish for giving people the illusion of free speech, responded to Ian Miles Cheong’s comments about Assassin’s Creed Shadows, stating that “DEI kills art.”
Regardless of your opinions on Elon Musk and his history of defrauding the United States government with poorly made electric vehicles (which aren’t truly eco-friendly), there’s no denying his monumental influence as a public icon. This influence is why he has done everything possible to monetize Twitter, trying to recoup his failed investment, while doing nothing to address the persistent botting problem.
Recently, Elon even removed public likes for all accounts, which not only exacerbates the botting issue but also prevents individuals from being called out for hypocrisy. By removing public likes, users can now like posts more freely without fear of backlash or repercussions, boosting engagement and traffic, which in turn increases income.
One person who wasn’t particularly happy with Elon Musk’s comments about forced diversity and inclusivity ruining their game was Marc-Alexis Cote, the head honcho for Assassin’s Creed Shadows. During an interview, Cote expressed his emotional distress following Musk’s remarks, which he felt sullied the reputation of his game.
In an interview with Stephen Totilo at Game File, who previously served as editor-in-chief at Kotaku, Cote shared how Musk’s comments affected him emotionally. He chose not to “fall to his level” and decided to ignore Musk’s post rather than engage directly, knowing that such an exchange would likely go viral given the controversy surrounding the inclusion of a Black samurai in Japan’s most iconic era.
He’s not retarded, but he is pathetic.
“That tweet generated emotions. The first thing I wanted to do was go back on X—an app I had deleted—and just tweet back,” Cote told Totilo. “But I took a step back, used a mindfulness app on my phone, and explored the emotions the tweet created.”
This situation exemplifies the current state of the gaming industry, where there appears to be a collusion between gaming journalists, developers, and woke consultancy groups. What stands out is that the head of Assassin’s Creed Shadows had to resort to a mindfulness app to manage his emotions following a simple tweet from Elon Musk about how his game was a blatant example of DEI and that forced diversity ruins art.
Mindfulness, being a meditation app, highlights the fragility of modern game developers, especially those in large companies who are pretty much public figures. They inevitably face significant social interaction, including criticism, whether their games are good or bad.
This is especially true when developers deviate from franchise norms to portray a non-representative character as the protagonist, rewriting history so a Black person can be depicted slaughtering Japanese people in Japan, during a period where any outsider was classified as barbarians.
Considering that IGN criticized Resident Evil 5 for being racist because it depicted Chris Redfield, an American man, thwarting a bioweapon attack in Africa, with an African woman as his sidekick. Naturally, the enemies were mainly African villagers. Yet, a Black man hacking and slashing through the Sengoku period is seen as perfectly acceptable.
Modern developers often struggle to handle criticism or backlash for their progressive views, particularly when someone as notorious as Elon Musk comments on them. Exposing their agenda to millions, making them feel outnumbered and unable to respond.
Amusingly, Cote accused Musk of spreading hatred while admitting he had many angry three-word replies he wanted to send. “For me, Elon, it’s sad, he’s just feeding hatred. I had a lot of three-word replies that came to mind.”
“By attacking someone like Elon… I will not convince people about our point of view as a team,” he said, adding, “Yasuke is very, very grounded in the history of the franchise and how we make our choices.”
A golf caddy, carrying his master’s sword, who may have been paraded around naked for the amusement of others, is hardly grounded in history.
This lack of historical foundation sparked an edit war on Wikipedia, where one individual tried desperately to rewrite Yasuke’s page to bolster the myth of him being a Black samurai.
This is why outlets like IGN cautiously state that Yasuke was “known as” a samurai rather than definitively saying “he was” a samurai, there’s no tangible evidence to support this claim. His existence barely registers as a footnote in Japan’s most historical era.
Cote made the laughable claim that people will be “convinced” of their approach within the first 11 minutes and 47 seconds of the game. This is particularly amusing given that gamers needed only a few seconds to recognize the game as a distorted historical representation of Japan, where a Black man massacres Japanese people.
In a franchise known for its authentic portrayal of ethnical characters relative to the games backdrop and setting, the promotional artwork featuring Yasuke was enough for people to understand Ubisoft’s direction with Assassin’s Creed Shadows.
It stands as a prime example of ESG and DEI initiatives in action, because I don’t see any resemblance to Afro Samurai, rather than being creative this move is blatant with Ubisoft hiding behind a supposed historical figure to feign innocence.
Cote urges consumers to keep an “open mind” about their blatant disrespect for Japan’s heritage and history. However, it’s clear that consumers are already seeing the game for what it is, despite his request. The promotional artwork alone was sufficient to reveal Ubisoft’s intentions, making Cote’s plea seem disingenuous.
Cote’s comments are unconvincing, especially in light of an internal Ubisoft memo confirming the company’s commitment to woke ideology through representation, diversity, and inclusion.
Their decision to rewrite history by including a non-Japanese individual as the main protagonist in a game set in feudal Japan is clear. This is further evidenced by statements from the game’s writers, who have mentioned that “cis White” people are privileged and that games feature too many White protagonists. It’s fair to say that such individuals with White guilt may view Asian ethnicities as “White adjacent” or are far less “marginalized” than other such races.
During an interview with a developer for Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Famitsu, a globalized Japanese publication, inadvertently revealed that the developers were seeking a samurai who could serve as their non-Japanese eyes.
If that isn’t racially fueled sentiment, it’s hard to say what is. Ubisoft’s internal messages have proclaimed that diversity and inclusivity are company priorities. Rather than naturally producing diverse content as they have for decades, there’s now a corporate-mandated push for diversity that feels insincere and blatant.
Adhering to ESG and DEI policies essentially forces developers to fixate on race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation. The writers of Assassin’s Creed have spoken about how White people are privileged, even using “cis” as a derogatory term, which comes across as an attempt to demonize heterosexuals, who make up the majority of gaming consumers.
Consumers are becoming increasingly aware of DEI and ESG initiatives and practices by companies like Ubisoft, which seem to focus on fulfilling diversity quotas rather than prioritizing immersive and enjoyable experiences. The senior writer’s anti-White prejudice and the lead writer’s ties to Sweet Baby Inc. have not gone unnoticed.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows disrespects Japan’s iconic history by featuring a Black man, with little historical significance, as a powerful samurai who slaughters countless Japanese people to a soundtrack of oriental tunes mixed with modern EDM.
This game is shaping up to be one of the most controversial releases of the year. Ubisoft appears desperate to upsell the game, with the standard edition priced at $70 and the Gold and Ultimate editions, which include early access and season passes, priced at $110 and $130, respectively.
It will be quite telling what consumers think of this cultural colonization if Assassin’s Creed Shadows turns out to be a commercial failure.
If you’re looking for a game that respects Japanese culture and heritage, consider pirating Ghost of Tsushima instead. Sony does not deserve your money however GOT is a fantastic game that shares many elements with modern Assassin’s Creed titles and does a much better job.
Be prepared for some male nudity and less-than-attractive female characters, but overall, it provides a more respectful and immersive experience. Alternatively, if you’re interested in other media that hilariously offers a more accurate portrayal of Japan’s most prestigious era, consider watching “Oda Nobuna no Yabou” (The Ambition of Oda Nobuna).
