Shadows: Day One Patch Avoids a Japan Ban

It’s a fact, Assassin’s Creed Shadows is a reality and has launched today. BUT, as expected, the countless controversies that arose during its development, while mostly resolved, are still present in one way or another. Ubisoft’s new open-world Assassin’s Creed installment is now available for PS5, Xbox Series, and PC, and it’s no secret that ever since its announcement and throughout its development, it has stirred major debates, many of them related to the representation of Japanese culture and the respect for its monuments and temples.

In Japan, the release of this highly anticipated title has generated significant controversy, even prompting the government to consider taking legal action over certain scenes in the game. The biggest issue has arisen from certain gameplay sequences that went viral, showing Yasuke, the African samurai, destroying and desecrating shrines. This has clearly generated a very negative reaction in the country, known among other things for being deeply traditionalist.

During a session in Japan’s National Diet (国会, Kokkai), the country’s legislative body responsible for creating laws, approving the national budget, and overseeing the government, Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru and other officials addressed what has been dubbed the “Assassin’s Creed Issue,” questioning the legality of its depictions. Dexerto has shared a report from ITMedia detailing how Hiroyuki Kata, a member of the Liberal Democratic Party, expressed his concerns about various scenes from the game that have gone viral on social media:

“I would like to ask about the Assassin’s Creed issue. In the game, the samurai protagonist destroys drums, sacred mirrors, and altars inside the worship hall of a shrine that appears under its real name. He also attacks people who appear to be priests, shoots arrows, and causes even more violent chaos. When I asked the head priest, he said the game company had not sought permission to use the shrine’s name.“

Despite these strong statements, with the Japanese government now on high alert over the matter, and even the Prime Minister going to war on this issue, literally stating, “It is absolutely unacceptable to vandalize a shrine. It is nothing but an insult to the country. It is natural to respect a nation’s culture and religion, and I believe it is important to send the message that we will not tolerate any behavior that disrespects the culture and religion of a country”, it seems Japan ultimately did not have the final say.

Ubisoft has released its Day One Patch, without any delay, it must be said, in which, among several other details, the issue raised by the Japanese government has been resolved. Now, most objects inside these buildings can no longer be broken or altered. These changes affect everything ceremonial and symbolic in these places but not generic objects like bowls or drums. Besides avoiding potential legal action from Japan, or so Ubisoft hopes, though it’s obviously too soon to say for sure, this patch also fixes other issues, such as getting stuck on moving objects, accidental item deletions when selling, or crossing certain boundaries when colliding with objects. Additionally, it improves horseback navigation, cave and structure lighting, and fabric clipping on Yasuke and Naoe’s outfits, along with several other minor fixes.

We all know that the main purpose of this patch has been, without a doubt, to resolve this controversy, which could have even affected Ubisoft economically. And from the heart, we hope they managed to fix it in time. I imagine it won’t be long before we know for sure whether there will be any repercussions or not. Whatever the case, it would be great if you dropped by the comments and shared your opinion on the matter! You know gamer, we’ll be reading you! 🙂

Info & Images Source: Ubisoft Official YouTube Channel, VANDAL, Reddit