Assassin’s Creed Shadows is set to release on March 20, and one of the biggest controversies during its development was its depiction of Japanese culture.
When the game was first announced, many players quickly pointed out historical inaccuracies inUbisoft’srepresentation of feudal Japan based on early footage ofAssassin’s Creed Shadows. One of them involved one of the game’s protagonists, Yasuke, being depicted as a Samurai, when some people claim he was never a samurai.
This led to calls for a boycott in Japan, includinga petitionfor Ubisoft to cancel the game development with over 100,000 signings. Ubisoft responded to players saying it worked with specialists to create the game world, and that the title is a work of fiction.
The Assassin’s Creed Shadows team has a message for our Japanese community.pic.twitter.com/AIyWNU9YhG
Now, with the release just around the corner, we have a better idea of how Japanese players are actually responding.
Assassin’s Creed Shadowsis a top seller in Japan despite controversies
It turns out that, at least in the pre-release period, Japanese players are not avoidingAssassin’s Creed: Shadowsat all.
The game is currently ranked as thethird best-selling game on Amazon Japan, only behindMonster Hunter WildsandSplit Fiction, and it is also among the top-selling games on online retailers likeRakuten.
This suggests that Japanese players were not as concerned about the initial character designs and cultural representation as some expected. Many are still pre-ordering the game in large numbers, making it one of the best-selling titles in recent weeks.
Still, no one knows exactly how the full game will turn out, and only those deeply familiar with Japanese culture will be able to judge how well Ubisoft has portrayed it. Until then, the controversy doesn’t seem to be stopping players from getting excited about the release.
Players in select regions can already start pre-loadingAssassin’s Creed Shadowsahead of its launch on March 20 — or late on March 19 in some areas. Check out our fullAC Shadowspre-load and release guidefor details on pre-load availability in your region.The game is Steam Deck Verified.
