Assassin's Creed Shadows director defends Yasuke's inclusion in the game from "noise online": "We know why Yasuke is in the game, we know how he fits"

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Players "can make their own minds up about what it is that Ubisoft Quebec set out to do" when they play it, he says

Assassin's Creed Shadows cinematic screenshot
(Image credit: Ubisoft)

Ahead of Assassin's Creed Shadows' long-awaited launch, Ubisoft has spoken out a little more about "noise online" – specifically, the controversy surrounding protagonist Yasuke – with the associate game director asserting that the devs "know how critical he is" and "how he fits." 

Alongside female warrior Naoe, Black samurai Yasuke is one of the two main stars of Assassin's Creed Shadows, but since his reveal, some have shared disparaging comments online questioning his inclusion, the historical accuracy of his identity, and debating over whether he was a real samurai in the first place. Spoiler alert, he was – he served under Oda Nobunaga – and series executive producer Marc-Alexis Côté previously spoke out against "attacks driven by intolerance" while pointing out that "Yasuke's presence in Japanese history is fact."

Now, speaking to Rolling Stone, associate game director Simon Lemay-Comtois touches on the discourse, acknowledging that "there's been some noise online about what this game is and why it's such and such," but the key point is that "we know what we're making." He continues: "We know why Yasuke is in the game, we know how he fits, we know how he builds towards the story, we know how critical he is. We know how Naoe is important. It's not Naoe's game, it's not Yasuke's game, it's both of these characters' games."

Furthermore, Lemay-Comtois says that players "can make their own minds up about what it is that Ubisoft Quebec set out to do" once they actually experience the game for themselves. The associate game director seems pretty confident, too, noting: "I think we're going to surprise damn near everyone who puts their hands on it."

In GamesRadar+'s Assassin's Creed Shadows hands-on preview, games editor Oscar Taylor-Kent says he "left more excited for the future of Assassin's Creed than I have been in years," calling the two protagonists "instant favorites, easy to love within moments of meeting them for the first time." Needless to say, things are looking promising for its release on March 20. 

Be sure to check out our Assassin's Creed Shadows big preview hub for even more impressions and info about Ubisoft's next game. 

Catherine Lewis
Catherine Lewis
Deputy News Editor

I'm GamesRadar+'s Deputy News Editor, working alongside the rest of the news team to deliver cool gaming stories that we love. After spending more hours than I can count filling The University of Sheffield's student newspaper with Pokemon and indie game content, and picking up a degree in Journalism Studies, I started my career at GAMINGbible where I worked as a journalist for over a year and a half. I then became TechRadar Gaming's news writer, where I sourced stories and wrote about all sorts of intriguing topics. In my spare time, you're sure to find me on my Nintendo Switch or PS5 playing through story-driven RPGs like Xenoblade Chronicles and Persona 5 Royal, nuzlocking old Pokemon games, or going for a Victory Royale in Fortnite.