Ubisoft cancels controversial Assassin's Creed set in American Civil War Reconstruction Era

Ubisoft reportedly cancelled a new original Assassin's Creed game based on the post-American Civil War Reconstruction period for being too controversial.

Ubisoft cancels controversial Assassin's Creed set in American Civil War Reconstruction Era
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Senior Gaming Editor
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TL;DR: Ubisoft cancelled a planned Assassin's Creed game set during the Reconstruction Era due to socio-political sensitivities and backlash from previous titles. The game would have featured a freed Black protagonist confronting historical violence. Ubisoft continues developing multiple new Assassin's Creed projects, including a Black Flag remake and titles by Vantage Studios.

New reports indicate that Ubisoft had cancelled a new, all-original Assassin's Creed game based on the Reconstruction Era that followed the American Civil War in the 1870s.

Ubisoft cancels controversial Assassin's Creed set in American Civil War Reconstruction Era 1
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Ubisoft had been developing a new Assassin's Creed game with a rather unique story. Sources close to the matter tell Game File reporter Stephen Totilo that the new Assassin's Creed would take place during 12-year-long Reconstruction Era after the Civil War. This period, which saw the United States abolish slavery and recognize freedoms, was fraught with violence and brutality.

Five sources reveal the plot of the game, highlighting a cinematic scope for the project. The cancelled AC game would've seen players take control of a black man who had been freed, chronicling his journey as he goes out West, exposing one of the most turbulent times in American history in the process. Eventually, players join the ancient assassin clan and even take on the Ku Klux Klan at one point of the game.

Not surprisingly, Ubisoft chose to cancel the game in July of 2024.

Sources say that Ubisoft scrapped the project because of the controversial pushback against Yasuke, the black samurai, in Assassin's Creed Shadows. Another reason was because Ubisoft was fast recognizing the precarious socio-political climate in the United States, and that was as far back as mid-2024. Things certainly have changed in the US political climate since then.

Other separate reports indicate that Ubisoft is working on multiple new Assassin's Creed games, including a new unannounced AC 4 Black Flag remake. The company could release up to 9 games by 2027, including a new mainline Assassin's Creed game.

New games in the series are now being developed by Ubisoft subsidiary, Vantage Studios, which was established this year with a $1.2 billion cash injection from Chinese game company Tencent.