- Yasuke became the focus of intense discussion during Ubisoft’s latest shareholders’ meeting.
- The CEO was questioned for including the character, and shareholders even threw around the term ‘woke’ during the discussions.
- CEO Yves Guillemot stated that the team picked him to portray a heroic journey.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows marked Ubisoft’s latest AAA release for one of the industry’s longest-running IPs. Ahead of the release, the game also saw plenty of controversy centered around Yasuke, the famous Black samurai.
Controversy regarding Yasuke has mostly died down since then, but it seems Ubisoft’s own shareholders are still not convinced about the decision to include the character. In fact, shareholders even brought up the matter in a recent meeting with the Ubisoft CEO.
Why it matters: The controversial DEI elements in the industry have caused so much outrage that even shareholders have begun to take notice.
Ubisoft’s latest shareholders’ meeting was held earlier this month, with various key topics being discussed between the shareholders and CEO Yves Guillemot.
On the subject of Assassin’s Creed Shadows, the shareholders echoed concerns of Yasuke’s inclusion in the game and even brought up the term ‘woke’ when discussing the matter with the CEO.
For context, the term was used frequently before Assassin’s Creed’s latest entry was released. CEO Yves Guillemot did not have much to say about the game being ‘woke,’ but he replied that Yasuke was included to depict a heroic journey.
We wanted to showcase characters with heroic journeys.
-Yves Guillemot
During the same meeting, shareholders discussed other important matters like the failure of Star Wars Outlaws, Ubisoft’s crashing stock prices, and more. However, the comments regarding Assassin’s Creed Shadows are the most interesting.
Ubisoft previously spoke out against malicious comments about the game ahead of its release, and the team also stated that it did not intend to push any specific agendas with Yasuke’s inclusion.
Still, the pushback from shareholders after general audience criticism may prevent the studio from making moves that lead to similar backlash in the future.
What do you make of the shareholders’ reaction to the controversy surrounding Assassin’s Creed Shadows? Do you think the French gaming giant will steer clear of such controversies moving forward? Share your thoughts in the comments and on the Tech4Gamers Forums.
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[Senior News Reporter]
Avinash is currently pursuing a Business degree in Australia. For more than 5 years, he has been working as a gaming journalist, utilizing his writing skills and love for gaming to report on the latest updates in the industry. Avinash loves to play action games like Devil May Cry and has also been mentioned on highly regarded websites, such as IGN, GamesRadar, GameRant, Dualshockers, CBR, and Gamespot.
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