Assassin’s Creed Shadows is faced with yet another hurdle, and this time it is a big one since it comes from the head of the government of Japan. Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has spoken strongly against the portrayal of his culture and country in the game; this is the last thing Ubisoft would have wanted.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows is now officially out. Despite a few setbacks in the past, Ubisoft has managed to release the game on time, and it is currently live worldwide. However, a new problem has emerged, and Ubisoft will need to carefully navigate its way out of it.
Japan’s PM is not happy with the portrayal of his country’s culture in Assassin’s Creed Shadows
In a recent diet meeting, the PM addressed concerns over Assassin’s Creed Shadows, especially on the part of the game that enables players to destroy shrines. He was not pleased with the portrayal of his country’s culture and reprimanded the creators for their lack of respect for it.
The criticism was followed by a video of Yasuke, the game’s protagonist, who was seen destroying the Harima Kuni Sosha Itatehyozu Shrine in the game. Hiroyuki Kata, who belongs to the Hyogo Prefecture constituency, posed a question about whether depicting one’s culture in such a way is the right thing to do or not.
The PM addressed this concern and talked about how he would like to discuss this with the other ministries and come up with a plan to act on it legally. He did not like the way violence was being depicted in the game inside a shrine that is based on a real-life location in Japan.
Wake up, Ubisoft “defender,” and hear our voice! What kind of Assassin’s Creed game destroys an actual religious site? Japanese culture is consumed but receives no respect. Here is a perfect example. pic.twitter.com/UsfWMgy53n
— Shohei Kondo (@shoheikondo) January 31, 2025
⚠️ ISHIBA ON ASSASSINS CREED CONTROVERSY: WE WILL NOT REMAIN SILENT. IT’S EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO SEND A CLEAR MESSAGE THAT, AS A NATION, WE CANNOT ACCEPT THIS. pic.twitter.com/XjItXdxz4q
— 由仁アリン Arin Yuni (@Arin_Yumi) March 19, 2025
In the meeting, Ishiba talked about how strongly he disagrees with the vandalism of one’s culture and the measures needed to amend such actions. He said:
It is absolutely unacceptable to graffiti a shrine. It is nothing but an insult to the country. When the self-defense forces were sent to Samawah, Iraq, I asked them to learn Islamic customs.
It is natural to have respect for the culture and religion of a country, and I think it is important to send out the message that we will not tolerate any behavior that does not respect the culture and religion of a country and will not tolerate it.
Despite some controversy, the game is still not being banned in Japan and will be released as scheduled. However, if the Japanese government decides to act quickly, it might face some tough times ahead.
The Japanese version of the game will be a little different
The Japanese version of the game will have certain restrictions to appear as respectful to their culture as possible. Nothing, currently, points in the direction that the game will be banned in the country; however, it still might have a tough time selling. The creators spent a lot of time researching how light falls on mountains in Japan but failed to portray the country’s shrines respectfully.
The rest of the world will be presented with the game as it is, without any restrictions. Assassin’s Creed Shadows has had a tough time largely due to Ubisoft’s decision to base the game in Japan; however, some people are extremely excited to explore feudal Japan in an AC game.
This is the first game in the franchise to have chosen Japan as its setting. The game features 2 protagonists, Yausuke and Naoe. Both of these characters have different play styles and independent backstories. Are you excited to play Assassin’s Creed Shadows? Let us know in the comments below.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
