- A veteran developer who worked on titles like Street Fighter 2 believes the recent backlash over Assassin’s Creed Shadows is overblown.
- He highlights that games can take as much liberty as possible since they aren’t reality.
- The developer outlines how Ubisoft’s dual protagonist system reminds him of his previous game.
Assassin’s Creed Shadow has already become one of the most controversial Ubisoft projects since it features Yasuke as the first black Japanese samurai.
While some Japanese gamers believe Ubisoft should cancel this release, others, like veteran Capcom developer Yoshiki Okamoto, don’t see much of a problem with this approach. He highlights the importance of distinguishing between reality and fiction.
Why it matters: Games are made to have fun, and Okamoto emphasizes that fun should come above all else.
Yoshiki Okamoto has years of experience in the industry. As a veteran Capcom developer, he worked with other Japanese people to bring Street Fighter 2 and Resident Evil 3 to life.
Okamoto described how he wanted to create a game like Assassin’s Creed Shadows in 2005, but his project failed. In his recent video, he discussed the backlash against the title and stated that Ubisoft does not deserve the backlash.
It’s a game, it’s fantasy, not reality.
Yoshiki Okamoto
He then described how Oda Nobunaga’s family crest could be completely wrong in a certain game, but that would not impact the enjoyment factor. Since games are works of fiction, they have no impact on the real Oda Nobunaga or his reputation.
The developer also described that he wanted to achieve a balance between a fast and brute-like character in Genji. With Assassin’s Creed Shadows offering a similar choice, he hopes the game will validate his concept that could not be realized in 2005.
Nonetheless, Yoshiki Okamoto seems to be in the minority here. Most Japanese fans have not been happy with Assassin’s Creed Shadows, with many constantly pointing out how Yasuke wasn’t a real samurai.
While pre-orders are said to be quite strong for now, it remains to be seen how things will play out. Perhaps Assassin’s Creed Shadows will be able to rise above the controversy and breathe new life into the IP.
Ubisoft has asked others to condemn the hatred against its teams, and the studio is determined to prove everyone wrong.
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