Japanese Petition To Cancel Assassin’s Creed Shadows Draws 70K Signatures

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Abdullah Waseem

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Update As Of July 7th:

The petition has continued to gain new subscriptions and now stands at nearly 70K subscriptions. At this rate, it will soon hit the 100K mark as gamers continue to rally against Assassin’s Creed Shadows.

Original Story:

It seems that the controversies around Assassin’s Creed Shadows won’t stop any time soon. After Japanese fans heavily criticized the game for being historically incorrect, they have now launched a petition to cancel the entire project. 

Why it matters: Ever since the first trailer, the title’s protagonists, Naoe and Yasuke, have been under fire. The petition serves to highlight yet another instance of Ubisoft’s controversial take on Japan.

Japanese fans took to Change.org to voice their concern and start a petition. They claim the game insults their history and culture, and Ubisoft must reverse its decision. The petition is now nearing 25K signatures to fulfill its initial goal.

As noted above, over 12K people have signed up in the last 24 hours alone. The petition is quickly gaining traction, with various Japanese people voicing their grievances with Ubisoft’s take on the era.

While some comments do acknowledge that Assassin’s Creed Shadows is a piece of fiction, they argue it promotes Asian racism and insults their heritage. Notably, this is the first time Ubisoft has used an actual historical character as its protagonist.

Yes, this is a fictional version of Yasuke, but fans argue that he was just a retainer instead of a proper samurai, leading to the uproar. Furthermore, a Japanese historian recently criticized the developer for the same reason, and the company blocked him.

Japanese gamers supporting the petition have argued that Ubisoft still boasts the project as a reflection of history. This is mainly why they advocate for the cancellation.

Recently, the studio’s CEO spoke out against the criticism and stated that people spreading hate against the game and its developers should be condemned.

However, controversies around Assassin’s Creed Shadows have seemingly become a very normal thing. As the petition grows, it might even capture Ubisoft’s attention, which could spark another controversial clash between the developer and gamers.

Abdullah Waseem

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