Ubisoft reportedly scrapped an Assassin’s Creed game set after the American Civil War due to “online backlash” of Yasuke in Shadows and an “increasingly intense” political climate in the US.
That’s according to Game File, which spoke with five “current and former Ubisoft employees” who shared information anonymously.
The game, claimed to have been in the concept phase, was said to take place during the Reconstruction period in the 1860s and 1870s.
Its protagonist would have been a formerly enslaved Black man recruited by assassins “to fight for justice in a conflict that would, among other things, see him confront the emergence of the Ku Klux Klan.”
Three sources claimed that they had become aware the game had been cancelled last July.
They alleged management in Paris ended development due to “online backlash” regarding Shadows’ protagonist Yasuke – based on a Black samurai who served Oda Nobunaga during the Sengoku period in Japan – and concerns “that the political climate in the US was becoming increasingly intense.”
One source said they were “terribly disappointed but not surprised by leadership” for cancelling the project.
“They are making more and more decisions to maintain the political ‘status quo’ and take no stand, no risk, even creative,” the source claimed.
GamesIndustry.biz reached out to Ubisoft, but the firm declined to comment on Game File’s report.
Earlier this year, it was reported that Ubisoft implemented an “anti-harassment plan” for developers that worked on Shadows.
An anonymous employee also said those who worked on the game were being discouraged from sharing their involvement on social media to avoid harassment.
In response, Ubisoft issued a statement clarifying that its “top priority is the safety of [its] employees.”
“Our stance has always been that team members’ social media channels are their own,” it said.
“Our top priority is the safety of our employees, including online, which is why, as a standard practice across Ubisoft, we offer guidance on navigating social media, digital safety, and support for team members’ wellbeing.
“We also share resources to help prevent and protect against online harassment, something our teams have unfortunately faced.”
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