An Assassin’s Creed News account declared it wants to remove so-called “grifters” from gaming.
The X account _L3vi3 wrote, “Enough, I've watched long enough, I'm not going to let the grifters turn my hobby into nothing.”
The account then declared, “There is no room in the AC community for
Racism
Misogyny
Hate
Agitation
Lies
Death threats
It concluded, “Everyone who doesn't stick to it will be blocked, it's time to reclaim gaming!”
One user responded, “What if there are people who just don’t like the fact that a company refuses to respect a culture and its history, but isn’t trying to promote racism, misogyny, hate, etc.?”
Ironically, the account replied, “If you say it in a normal way, it is fine.”
It is a tacit admission that it is Ubisoft, the developer of Assassin’s Creed Shadows, who is promoting and pushing much of the things the account accuses so-called “grifters” of doing.
And the evidence of Ubisoft doing so is very long. First, the company worked with author Thomas Lockley to promote the idea that one of the game’s main characters Yasuke is a “legendary samurai.”
This claim is heavily contested with Japanese historian Yūichi Goza informing The Sankei Shimbun, “There are very few historical records about Yasuke, so it is difficult to say. The history of Yasuke has not been the subject of much research, in part because the history of personalities is not the main stream of historical studies. In the 15-volume ‘Nobunaga Koki’ in the collection of the Sonkei Kaku Bunko, which is one of the biographies of ‘Nobunaga Koki,’ a chronicle of Nobunaga’s life, there is a description of Nobunaga giving Yasuke a sword and a house, indicating that he treated him as a samurai. However, this is something that only appears in this biography among the dozens of manuscripts of the Nobunaga Chronicle, and we cannot deny the possibility that it was added later when the manuscript was transcribed.”
Goza continued, “Also, even if he was a samurai, he may have been a ‘formality.’ For example, in the Edo period, feudal lords who were fond of sumo had their own personal wrestlers. Formally, they were treated as vassals or samurai and allowed to wear a sword, but even if a war broke out, it was not expected that the feudal lords would allow their retainers to fight on the battlefield.”
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When asked about the armor that Yasuke is depicted wearing in the game, Goza stated, “The Japanese people around Nobunaga were very surprised by Yasuke’s dark skin and seemed to be interested in it. In a sense, it was a show, and having a black man like Yasuke so close to him would attract attention and, in a sense, show off Nobunaga’s ‘power’.”
“In a sense, Nobunaga could show off his ‘power.’ Therefore, I believe that the most important purpose was to show off to everyone,” he relayed. “In the Jesuit historical records, it is written that Yasuke was powerful and could do a few tricks. I believe that he was in fact Nobunaga’s bodyguard and entertainer.”
He then declared, “He was not the ‘Samurai Warrior’ that Westerners imagine him to be, slaying one enemy after another. Even if he did fight, he did not command his men, but worked as a single combatant.”
In fact, Ubisoft’s Executive Producer for its Assassin’s Creed franchise Marc-Alexis Côté told The New York Times that the company is going “beyond what is accepted truth” with the game.
He said, “We want people to be passionate about history. What does that mean? Stay true to well-documented moments and historical figures, but not shying away from having a critical point of view and defying clichés to go beyond what is the accepted truth.”
Game Director Charles Benoit had previously claimed the game would be used to teach players about the Sengoku era. He told Xbox Wire, “We’re at the end of Sengoku era, in a turning point of Japan history. Assassin’s Creed is well known for its depiction of the history and accurate recreation of the world and it’s what players can expect with Assassin’s Creed Shadows. We’re showing real historical figures, such as Oda Nobunaga and a lot of events that happened during that time, so you’re not only playing in feudal Japan, but learning about this fantastic time period.”
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Ubisoft also apologized back in July for creating “concern within the Japanese community”
The company wrote as part of a lengthy apology on X, “Despite these sustained efforts, we acknowledge that some elements in our promotional materials have caused concern within the Japanese community. For this, we sincerely apologize.”
The company also admitted that its depiction of Yasuke was fictional despite still marketing him as a “legendary samurai.”
It wrote, “The representation of Yasuke in our game is an illustration of this. His unique and mysterious life made him an ideal candidate to tell an Assassin’s Creed story with the setting of Feudal Japan as a backdrop. While Yasuke is depicted as a samurai in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, we acknowledge that this is a matter of debate and discussion.”
“We have woven this carefully into our narrative and with our other lead character, the Japanese shinobi Naoe, who is equally important in the game, our dual protagonists provide players with different gameplay styles,” Ubisoft added.
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Furthermore, Ubisoft has an entire Diversity and Inclusion team within its company whose whole purpose is to promote racism.
The company’s VP Global Diversity and Inclusion Raashi Sikka declares on the website, “For Ubisoft, putting diversity and inclusion at the heart of everything we do means providing an environment where employees can thrive, building open-minded communities where players can connect, and creating games that reflect the diversity of the world we live in. We will not accomplish all these goals overnight. Just as it takes years of iteration to develop a AAA title, we will only become a more diverse and inclusive company by continuously improving, trying new ideas and learning from the results. It’s a long-term commitment, one that we will tackle with the same passion and dedication that we bring to our games.”
What do you make of this news account attempting to remove so-called “grifters” from gaming?
None of this is "giving the customers what they want."