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- The controversy surrounding Assassin’s Creed Shadows, including Yasuke, an African samurai, has sparked debates on historical accuracy and forced diversity.
- There are multiple instances where controversy hasn’t stopped games from achieving high sales figures, and the same would be the case here.
- Despite these debates, the pre-orders are strong, and Ubisoft’s RPG formula has already been a huge success.
Ever since Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, Ubisoft has swayed away from annual releases of Assassin’s Creed entries since the RPG projects tend to need longer development cycles. More content doesn’t exactly equal good content, but this is just classic Ubisoft.
The same is true with Assassin’s Creed Shadows, but this particular entry has caused much controversy. It features Yasuke, an African samurai, and this element has caused controversy due to alleged forced diversity and claims that Yasuke is not a real samurai in history.
This has caused nationwide panic in Japan and massively backfired for Ubisoft. Other problems include similarities with Ghost of Tsushima and the outdated visuals. However, all this controversy will only lead to massive commercial success for Ubisoft, and here’s why.
Why it matters: Assassin’s Creed is one of the most well-known IPs in gaming and one of the most well-sold, too. Regardless, history shows that controversy hasn’t stopped video games from breaking the charts in the past.
Controversial Games That Topped Sales
Assassin’s Creed Shadows isn’t the first or the last game to spark a debate on racial matters. Capcom was accused of racial discrimination with Resident Evil 5 over stereotyping African people and killing hordes of black people as a white protagonist.
Still, the game has sold almost 14 million units to date, showing that these controversies aren’t a problem in the commercial department. Critiques may say otherwise, and not mainly because of the racism, but the core game lacked execution.
There are other cases, too, starting with Rockstar’s Manhunt series. To be fair, Rockstar is no stranger to controversy, but with the Manhunt series, things reached another level. The game was extremely gruesome and even banned in several countries. If this wasn’t enough, a few murder crimes were blamed on Manhunt’s influence.
Despite all this, it ended up selling over 1.7 million units. This may not seem like much, but it was a major deal for such a niche game. There are countless other examples, such as the GTA IP’s depiction of violence, Doom’s demonic imagery, and the infamous “No Russian” mission from Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 (2009).
Despite that, all these games sold well and proved to be big hits, so what’s stopping Assassin’s Creed Shadows?
The RPG Formula Has Been A Success For Ubisoft
While Assassin’s Creed fans may still be conflicted about comparing the classic and the new RPG formula, Ubisoft is very happy with the results it has received from these recent releases.
Ever since Assassin’s Creed Origins, every title has outsold the last despite people arguing that the quality has deteriorated with each successive release. I even believe the first RPG title, Assassin’s Creed Origins, was the best and is yet to be topped.
While many people may not rank the RPG trilogy at the top of their favorites list, the trilogy’s sales and achievements are undeniable, as is the fact that they introduced the series to a whole new generation. I speculate the exact scenario with Assassin’s Creed Shadow.
The feudal Japan setting has been in demand for over a decade. Although it’s a shame Ghost of Tsushima was the title that made Ubisoft finally take the plunge, we’re still getting one.
According to reports, the RPG is already showing strong results, and the Yasuke controversy isn’t as big a deal as you might think.
Moreover, the game will bring a classic Assassin’s Creed vibe, featuring a brand-new engine and stealth elements that surpass earlier titles, appealing to newer and older fans alike.
Everyone may have their opinions about Yasuke being the protagonist. Fortunately, people who don’t like his role can play as Naoe, a Japanese ninja, who is part of the narrative from the very beginning.
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[News Reporter]
Shaheer is currently pursuing a Business degree while also working as a part-time Content Writer. With his deep passion for both writing and video games, he has seamlessly transitioned into a role as a Journalist. Over the past two years, Shaheer has contributed as a freelancer to various websites and landed positions on acclaimed platforms like Gamerant. Currently, his role at Tech4gamers is as a Features Writer, but he also covers News occasionally. Shaheer’s favorite gaming franchises are Assassin’s Creed and the God of War series.
Get In Touch: shaheer@tech4gamers.com
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