Assassin's Creed Shadows draws attention of Japan's Prime Minister, who says "defacing a shrine is out of the question" in real life, but politicians acknowledge "freedom of expression must be respected" in the game

Assassin's Creed Shadows has just launched, and it's even being discussed by Shigeru Ishiba, the Prime Minister of Japan.

Shadows is set in feudal Japan during the Sengoku period. It's drawn the ire of a loud but small group of gamers who take issue with two things: the inclusion of the first Black samurai, Yasuke, a real historical figure, as one of the two protagonists, and that an Assassin's Creed Shadows preview showed players can damage sacred shrines in-game.

Ubisoft put out a statement informing fans that it isn't intended to be 100% accurate, and that the series are "works of fiction inspired by real historical events and figures." You fistfight the Pope in the Vatican in the second game, so I don't know who was expecting a documentary instead of an action RPG.

IGN reports (in collaboration with IGN Japan) that Prime Minister Ishiba has fielded concerns from Japanese officials over the game: "I fear that allowing players to attack and destroy real-world locations in the game without permission could encourage similar behavior in real life," says Hiroyuki Kada, member of the House of Councillors of Japan. "Shrine officials and local residents are also worried about this. Of course, freedom of expression must be respected, but acts that demean local cultures should be avoided."

The concern echoes old fears that games such as Grand Theft Auto and Mortal Kombat would inspire players to commit acts of violence in real life, a topic that has been researched and debated for years now.

The Prime Minister responds: "How to address this legally is something we need to discuss with the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"Defacing a shrine is out of the question - it is an insult to the nation itself. When the Self-Defense Forces were deployed to Samawah, Iraq, we ensured they studied Islamic customs beforehand. Respecting the culture and religion of a country is fundamental, and we must make it clear that we will not simply accept acts that disregard them."

IGN Japan provides some much-needed context to the situation. Japan has seen a surge in tourism following the reopening of its borders after Covid lockdowns, and Kada has concerns about "over-tourism." The worry is that being able to deface shrines in-game will inspire copycats, something the Prime Minister says he will oppose if it happens. However, IGN notes that "the 'if' is doing a lot of heavy lifting."

Ubisoft appears to be getting ahead of the issue by launching a day one patch, as reported by Automaton. This update will supposedly make certain objects in shrines indestructible and will also reduce the amount of visible blood that can be spilled in the premises. It will also reportedly remove blood when you attack an unarmed civilian NPC. It's unclear if this patch will be rolled out worldwide or is only for Japan, and it will be interesting to see if the same crowd who were upset by the game's original features will now be annoyed about censorship instead.

Assassin's Creed Shadows launches today, and if you want to know what else is coming out, have a look at our list of all the new games of 2025.