Ubisoft CEO Shareholders' Meeting Responds to Assassin's Creed: Shadow's "Political Correct"

　　At the recent Ubisoft Financial Conference, an investor who claimed to be a "long-term player and a new shareholder" questioned CEO Yves Guerermo on the spot: Whether "Assassin's Creed" is a "political correct" work. The shareholder criticized the game for setting the African-American samurai Yasuke as the protagonist of the 16th-century Japanese background and arranging her to develop romantic relationships with trans characters as a "radical choice", believing that the move led to "damaging Ubisoft's reputation." Guillermo responded that Miyasuke is a real historical figure and his original intention was to "show the hero's journey."

Despite the controversy, "Assassin's Creed" still set the second highest first-selling record in the series, second only to "The Palace of Valhalla". The game takes Japan in the late Warring States Period as the stage, using the narrative of the two protagonists of Ninja Naoe and Samurai Yasuke. Historical records show that as an African retainer serving Oda Nobunaga, Yasuke was the first foreign samurai in Japanese history.

Ubisoft has been in a whirlpool of public opinion recently. At the beginning of this month, it has modified the user agreement to require players to delete local data after the game is suspended, which is regarded as a counterattack against the "Stop Killing Games" movement. The DLC "Awaji Island Claw" will be launched in September-October 2025, adding new maps, enemies and character abilities, which may add fuel to this cultural debate.

Analysts pointed out that when "political correctness" becomes the formal issue of shareholders' meetings, it marks that the creative freedom of the game industry is facing the dual pressure from capital and society. As Gueremy emphasized by Gueremy, how to balance historical reality, artistic expression and business considerations will become a compulsory course for all 3A manufacturers.