Skip to main content
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
    • Game Insights
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
    • Genres
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
    • Franchises
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • Insights
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
    • Computing
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
    • Accessories & Tech
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
  • home
  • Games
    • View Games
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • View Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • View Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • View TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • View Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • View Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • View Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • View Hardware
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • View Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • View Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
Trending
  • Pokemon Winds and Waves
  • New Games for 2026
  • GamesRadar+ Replay
  • Mario Day deals
Don't miss these
Resident Evil Requiem gameplay reveal
Resident Evil Resident Evil Requiem Leon actor says the new horror game "could have been just a solo Grace" outing
Nioh 3 shogun in plate armor helmet
Action RPGs 15 years after Dark Souls, Nioh 3 faced the exact same problem and "people felt that the game was a little bit easier"
A screenshot of the title card for the upcoming game Assassin's Creed Codename Hexe.
Assassin's Creed Assassin’s Creed Hexe will be a "darker" installment "set during a pivotal moment in history"
Nioh 3 character holding shining jade medallion
Action RPGs "Nioh 3 is a great game but it's not perfect," devs say in refreshing show just weeks after the acclaimed RPG's release
Assassin's Creed Shadows cinematic screenshot
Assassin's Creed Best Assassin's Creed games, ranked from worst to best
Assassin's Creed Codename Hexe
Assassin's Creed Assassin's Creed Hexe: Everything you need to know about the new flagship AC game
Assassin's Creed Shadows cinematic screenshot
Assassin's Creed Assassin's Creed Shadows to enter "final phase of support," and PvP multiplayer game Invictus is "progressing steadily"
Leon Kennedy drives a car at night in Resident Evil Requiem, with the GamesRadar+ On The Radar branding
Resident Evil 14 years later, Resident Evil Requiem achieves what the series' most controversial game couldn't
Key art for Control Resonant showing Dylan with The Aberrant in its axe form standing on a ruined taxi as he faces shadowy figures across a twisted Manhattan
Action RPGs Control Resonant trades shooting for a shapeshifting sword because "melee is cool", its creative director tells me
Assassin's Creed Codename Hexe
Action RPGs Upcoming Assassin's Creed games: Every new Assassin's Creed game in development
Key art for Resident Evil Requiem showing Grace with a flashlight, with a larger image of Leon in shadow behind her against rainy streets
Survival Horror Games Resident Evil Requiem has "a different kind of replay value" because Leon can mow down zombies Grace leaves behind
Assassin's Creed Mirage mysterious shards Basim looking down at order member dressed in black
Stealth Games The best stealth games you can sneak through in 2026
A player on a ship looking at a whale tail during Assassin's Creed Black Flag.
Assassin's Creed Assassin's Creed 3 held back on the ship-sailing stuff until Black Flag because Ubisoft worried the tech "wouldn't work"
Dispatch screenshots
Adventure Games Dispatch season 2 isn't even confirmed, but I'm wondering how it could handle the battle of the best girl
A screenshot of a dark woods during the reveal trailer for Assassin's Creed: Codename Hexe
Action Games Assassin's Creed Hexe creative director quits Ubisoft as Black Flag lead steps in following departure
  1. Games
  2. Action Games
  3. Assassin's Creed
  4. Assassin's Creed Shadows

Assassin's Creed Shadows director on splitting time between the two heroes: "The core of the game can be pick your character and the game adapts"

News
By Jordan Gerblick published 11 February 2025

Whether you play mostly as Yasuke or Naoe, Jonathan Dumont says you won't be "missing out"

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Assassin's Creed Shadows screenshot showing Yasuke kneeling and praying while wearing a traditional purple robe
(Image credit: Ubisoft)
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Get the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


Want to add more newsletters?

GamesRadar+

Every Friday

GamesRadar+

Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.

GTA 6 O'clock

Every Thursday

GTA 6 O'clock

Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.

Knowledge

Every Friday

Knowledge

From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.

The Setup

Every Thursday

The Setup

Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.

Switch 2 Spotlight

Every Wednesday

Switch 2 Spotlight

Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.

The Watchlist

Every Saturday

The Watchlist

Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.

SFX

Once a month

SFX

Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
Subscribe to our newsletter

It's widely known by this point that Assassin's Creed Shadows has two protagonists, but apparently if you choose to primarily play one over the other, you won't be missing out on a bunch of content.

In an interview with ScreenRant, Assassin's Creed Shadows director Jonathan Dumont explained how he personally chooses to spend his time between the two protagonists. They both have their own unique strengths and weaknesses, with Yasuke is big, powerful, and brutish, while Naoe is light, nimble, and quick, and Dumont wisely takes advantage of that.

"I play quite a bit balanced out and what happens is, I play with one for three, four, five hours, and then I switch, and then I just play two, three hours," said Dumont. "Usually I play stealth and then I play, all right, let me destroy some camps and stuff all right for a while. And then I just change like that."

You may like
  • Assassin's Creed Shadows Assassin's Creed Shadows' Yasuke and Naoe could influence how future protagonists in Ubisoft's open-world games move
  • Assassin's Creed Shadows cinematic screenshot I loved Assassin's Creed Shadows but I wish I knew how overwhelmingly huge it was before starting
  • Assassin's Creed Shadows cinematic screenshot Assassin's Creed Shadows to enter "final phase of support," and PvP multiplayer game Invictus is "progressing steadily"

Content-wise, Dumont said each hero has their own unique intro scenes and questlines, but he recommends simply playing the characters you're having more fun with.

"So I don't think you're missing out on things too much," he said. "I think it's more on your preference to [say], 'okay, I'll see how the game will adapt a little bit to the character if you choose one over the other.' They get individual introductions and then they get their own questline also. So that one is, let's say Naoe, a personal questline cannot be played by Yasuke and those are two distinct things. But the core of the game can be pick your character and the game adapts."

It's still not entirely clear how many unique scenarios can be missed, but Dumont said several times you won't be "missing out on things too much," adding, "we're not imposing players try to split the time. So if you prefer one character for any reason, you can play maybe - I don't know, I'm not going to put a percentage - but quite a bit of the game using one of them. But if you want to balance it out."

Assassin's Creed Shadows launches on PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC on March 20.

Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Be sure to check out our Assassin's Creed Shadows big preview hub for more details about the game from our hands-on preview.

CATEGORIES
PC Gaming PS5 Xbox Series X Platforms PlayStation Xbox
Jordan Gerblick
Jordan Gerblick
Social Links Navigation
Staff Writer

After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.

Read more
Assassin's Creed Shadows
Assassin's Creed Shadows' Yasuke and Naoe could influence how future protagonists in Ubisoft's open-world games move
 
 
Assassin's Creed Shadows cinematic screenshot
I loved Assassin's Creed Shadows but I wish I knew how overwhelmingly huge it was before starting
 
 
Assassin's Creed Shadows cinematic screenshot
Assassin's Creed Shadows to enter "final phase of support," and PvP multiplayer game Invictus is "progressing steadily"
 
 
Key art for Resident Evil Requiem showing Grace with a flashlight, with a larger image of Leon in shadow behind her against rainy streets
Resident Evil Requiem has "a different kind of replay value" because Leon can mow down zombies Grace leaves behind
 
 
Assassin's Creed Shadows cinematic screenshot
As Assassin's Creed Shadows nears its first anniversary, Ubisoft brings back a series favorite feature – a manual jump
 
 
Assassin's Creed Shadows cinematic screenshot
Best Assassin's Creed games, ranked from worst to best
 
 
Latest in Assassin's Creed
Black Flag Resynced
Assassin's Creed: Black Flag remake finally out in the open as Ubisoft acknowledges its worst-kept secret
 
 
A screenshot of the title card for the upcoming game Assassin's Creed Codename Hexe.
Assassin’s Creed Hexe will be a "darker" installment "set during a pivotal moment in history"
 
 
Assassin's Creed Shadows cinematic screenshot
Assassin's Creed Shadows to enter "final phase of support," and PvP multiplayer game Invictus is "progressing steadily"
 
 
A screenshot of a dark woods during the reveal trailer for Assassin's Creed: Codename Hexe
Assassin's Creed Hexe creative director quits Ubisoft as Black Flag lead steps in following departure
 
 
Assassin's Creed Valhalla
Ubisoft CEO fights nepotism claims against Assassin's Creed studio by saying "Ubisoft was created as a family company"
 
 
Skull and Bones screenshot
Assassin's Creed 3 lead says "junior" Skull and Bones team was trying to "make Black Flag crossed with World of Tanks"
 
 
Latest in News
A hand poses Lego Luigi's head
Lego Luigi kit lets you recreate the iconic Mario Kart death stare
 
 
Yuta getting ready to attack in Jujutsu Kaisen season 3
Jujutsu Kaisen actor offers perfect response to why AI should stay out of anime
 
 
Pickmon
Pokemon fan artist alleges new Palworld clone Pickmon "stole one of my designs"
 
 
Life is Strange
Join Chloe and Max on a "fiery weekend" for a better glimpse into Life is Strange: Reunion at the Future Games Show this week
 
 
Mortal Kombat movie
Mortal Kombat 2 star joins in with Street Fighter movie beef after Game Awards dig because he "loves a good rivalry"
 
 
Mackenyu as Zoro in One Piece season 2
One Piece season 2 actor Mackenyu says he learned Roronoa Zoro's 15-minute 1 vs 100 fight in just 6 hours
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. Virtual Boy for Switch 2 sitting on coffee table with TV in backdrop displaying Wario Land gameplay.
    1
    I respect the Virtual Boy as a collectable Switch 2 gadget, but it’s not exactly a retro console remake
  2. 2
    Bizarre Lineage codes (March 2026) for free Stat Point Essence, Rare Chests, and more
  3. 3
    The Thrustmaster T248R is making me question where a sim racing wheel with no direct drive and no modular wheelbase fits in the market in 2026
  4. 4
    These Mario Day-inspired Switch 2 accessories will power up your console more than a super star
  5. 5
    Pokemon fan artist alleges new Palworld clone Pickmon "stole one of my designs," saying "they didn't even try to change something and make it a bit less obvious"

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...