Assassin’s Creed Shadows: we now know if the African samurai will be in the game

This summer, Ubisoft revealed the characters of Assassin's Creed Shadows, sparking controversy among players. Indeed, the latter accused the studio of wokeism when they learned of the presence in the cast of a black-African samurai, Yasuke, historically very different. A few months and a petition later, we finally know if this Japanese warrior has been removed from the game.

Will Yasuke be in Assassin's Creed Shadows?

Assassin's Creed fans have been asking for years for a game set in feudal Japan, and that's exactly what Shadows will deliver. The story will take place during the Sengoku era and will allow players to play as a female shinobi, Naoe, and a black-African samurai, Yasuke. A decision that has raised the indignation of Internet users: a petition posted by Shimizu Toru on the Change site has collected more than 100,000 signatures since June 19. It demands “Ubisoft to cancel the release of Assassin's Creed Shadows and to show serious research work and respect for the history and culture of Japan“, an invective to which the studios had responded. The release of the video game having been postponed to February 14, 2025, will the casting be modified following the pressure exerted by the fans?

In Assassin’s Creed Shadows, you’ll play as 2 protagonists:

– Yasuke, a real historical figure known as the legendary “African Samurai”
– Naoe, a fictional shinobi pic.twitter.com/qmXmdDmOfs

May 16, 2024

While this rumor is persistent, it is nonetheless false. Sure, the game is no longer coming out on schedule, but according to Insider Gaming, the character is not in question. “Let me first address the strange rumors about Yasuke – he's not going to be removed,” says journalist Tom Henderson. The changes to Assassin's Creed Shadows include Yasuke's story, the way he's shown, architectural details, and more historical accuracy. Apparently, historians were brought in too late in the game's design, and the various teams are having communication issues.