Ubisoft is tackling "dynamics behind the polarized comments" facing games like Assassin's Creed Shadows with a "player-centric and gameplay-first" approach

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Yves Guillemot has an answer to Assassin's Creed Shadows controversy, it's just not a very clear one

Assassin's Creed Shadows screenshot showing female protagonist Naoe
(Image credit: Ubisoft)

Again acknowledging some often-ugly arguments, Ubisoft says it's tackling the "dynamics behind the polarized comments" facing games like Assassin's Creed Shadows with a "player-centric and gameplay-first" approach.

The reveal of Assassin's Creed Shadows' feudal Japan setting and Black protagonist, Yasuke whipped certain corners of the internet into a frenzy over a perceived lack of historical accuracy and forced diversity. There was also a separate debate over whether Yasuke was actually a real-life Samurai (he was), and entirely unrelated to all of that, Ubisoft had to apologize for the unauthorized use of a flag in Shadows' concept art.

Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot seemed to, once again, address these controversies in the company's latest earnings report, saying:

"The Executive Committee review, aimed at improving our execution focused on a player-centric and gameplay-first approach, is progressing. This notably includes actions aimed at tackling the dynamics behind the polarized comments around Ubisoft so as to protect the Group’s reputation and maximize our game’s sales potential."

What exactly these comments mean to players, I haven't the foggiest idea, but Guillemot says in another section of the financial report that Ubisoft "must redouble our focus on execution and reinforce a player-centric mindset in everything we do," pledging to take "the additional time to ensure that the upcoming very ambitious opus in our flagship franchise, Assassin's Creed Shadows, is a highly polished, exceptional experience on day one."

This isn't the first time Guillemot has spoken out about the response to Assassin's Creed Shadows. Just last month, he said Ubisoft's "goal is not to push any specific agenda" in reference to the same "polarized comments" about the game.

Meanwhile, Assassin's Creed Shadows' art book is apparently being altered to remove an unauthorized flag from a real-life re-enactment group, despite Ubisoft's previous plans to leave it in.

Jordan Gerblick
Jordan Gerblick
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.