Ubisoft pulls out of Tokyo Game Show after mounting Assassin's Creed Shadows controversy

Ubisoft has officially pulled out of the Tokyo Game Show and purportedly cancelled press previews of Assassin's Creed Shadows following bot allegations.

Ubisoft pulls out of Tokyo Game Show after mounting Assassin's Creed Shadows controversy
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Ubisoft has officially withdrawn from the Tokyo Game Show following criticisms of its upcoming title, Assassin's Creed Shadows, with the developer citing "various circumstances".

A new report from Insider Gaming cites various sources that informed the publication that Ubisoft canceled all press previews of Assassin's Creed Shadows. These press previews of the title were expected to go out next week along with the embargo date, but now, according to Insider Gaming, that isn't happening. Ubisoft has since touched on the seemingly abrupt pull out of the Tokyo Game Show in a recent X post, writing, "We regret to inform you that due to various circumstances, we have decided to cancel our online participation in Tokyo Game Show 2024, which was scheduled to start at 3:00 PM on September 26."

Why would Ubisoft withdraw from the Tokyo Game Show? Since the announcement of Assassin's Creed Shadows, the title has drawn extreme controversy for its price, lack of showcased gameplay despite pre-orders being open, choppy animations, alleged bot purchasing, characters, and setting. That last point was a particular point of contention as gamers accused Ubisoft of mischaracterizing Japanese culture with its choice of protagonist and the company's exclamation that Shadows was loosely based on history.

Moreover, Ubisoft has been accused of disrespecting Japanese culture and its history with its Assassin's Creed Shadows merchandise, which depicts a structure that appears to be based on the Sanno Shrine and the One-Legged Torii Gate. For those that don't know, the One-Legged Torri Gate is located just 900 meters from the center of the blast created by the nuclear bomb that struck Nagasaki. Following the blast, the One-Legged Torri Gate was the only thing that remained in the area.

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Since then, it has become a shrine and symbol of the tragic event the Japanese people endured. Ubisoft has been accused of disrespecting Japanese culture by combining its controversial artistic character choices with a symbol of Japanese heritage representing a tragic event to sell merchandise. A listing for the figurine can be found here.

Notably, Ubisoft is aware of the controversy surrounding its artistic choices and Japanese heritage, as the developer issued a statement to the Japense community at the end of last month that said it has put a significant effort into ensuring Shadows is an immersive and respective representation of Feudal Japan, but, Ubisoft has never intended to present any Assassin's Creed title, including Shadows, as factual representations of history, or historical characters.

However, Ubisoft Game Director Charles Benoit said to Xbox Wire back in May, "We're at the end of Sengoku era, in a turning point of Japan history. Assassin's Creed is well known for its depiction of the history and accurate recreation of the world and it's what players can expect with Assassin's Creed Shadows.

We're showing real historical figures, such as Oda Nobunaga and a lot of events that happened during that time, so you're not only playing in feudal Japan, but learning about this fantastic time period."

The abrupt withdrawal from the Tokyo Game Show doesn't necessarily install confidence in the upcoming title, with rumors now swirling that Shadows could be facing a delay. Ubisoft plan on releasing Assassin's Creed Shadows on November 12, 2024.

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Jak joined the TweakTown team in 2017 and has since reviewed 100s of new tech products and kept us informed daily on the latest science, space, and artificial intelligence news. Jak's love for science, space, and technology, and, more specifically, PC gaming, began at 10 years old. It was the day his dad showed him how to play Age of Empires on an old Compaq PC. Ever since that day, Jak fell in love with games and the progression of the technology industry in all its forms.

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