Assassin's Creed Shadows is finally here, and Ubisoft has been quick to address complaints about its optional romances by reminding players that no one is forcing them to flirt with anyone.
In Shadows, both protagonists – Yasuke and Naoe – have a number of potential romance options to choose from, so long as players choose to play with Canon Mode turned off (as this removes all romances from the game). They're a varied bunch, so no matter how you headcanon the protagonists' personal preferences (or, of course, if you want to lean into your own), there's an option available – both of them can flirt with characters of the opposite or same sex, and Yasuke can also get romantic with a nonbinary character.
With the internet being the internet, not everyone has been welcoming towards the diversity here, which has prompted others to jump in and point out that you're only ever going to see these romantic scenes if you choose to flirt with the characters in question. In the legendary and ever-relevant words of the official DOOM Twitter account, "you control the buttons you press," and Assassin's Creed developer Ubisoft has weighed in with a similar message: "Remember the fourth tenet of the Creed: Flirting in RPG games is always optional."
Remember the fourth tenet of the Creed: Flirting in RPG games is always optional. https://t.co/mdFYF0KuxT pic.twitter.com/Oq0Z01IjIfMarch 20, 2025
At the end of the day, games are about having fun – romance is just one part of games like this that plenty of players find enjoyable, but no one is being forced to engage with it. If you're not interested in those elements at all, the aforementioned Canon Mode won't even present you with the options to flirt at all, as there aren't any dialogue choices present in the first place.
Be sure to check out our Assassin's Creed Shadows review to find out why it ranks so highly on our list of the best Assassin's Creed games.
