Ubisoft's "Diversity Agenda" Unmasked: The Controversy of Yasuke in Assassin's Creed Shadows
Ubisoft's latest offering in the Assassin’s Creed franchise, Assassin’s Creed: Shadows, has ignited a fiery debate ahead of its release, exposing not just the intricacies of historical representation, but also, the underlying diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) agendas of the gaming giant.
This latest uproar surrounds the inclusion of Yasuke, a real-life African samurai who lived during Japan's Sengoku period, as one of the game's protagonists...
Ubisoft has constantly tried to downplay the significance of choosing Yasuke as one of the central characters, framing it as 'just another creative decision' in line with their previous games. However, in reality, this move has not gone unnoticed or unchallenged, especially within the Japanese community.
The choice of Yasuke is far from a 'minor' creative liberty; it is a gigantically bold stride into the fraught waters of DEI, the oceans of which Ubisoft seems eager to dive into, complete with an air of dismissiveness towards the substantial backlash. For years, using this approach was a safety net. A shield they could raise against any challenges. That tide has turned...
