Assassin’s Creed Shadows Lead Wanted To Avoid A Stereotypical Depiction Of Japan

Assassin’s Creed Shadows is out now, letting players explore the series’ long-awaited dive into Japanese history. Given how long fans were waiting for this setting, expectations were high, and right now, it seems that most are happy with how the game depicts Feudal Japan.

Speaking in an interview with GamesRadar+, Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ creative director David Nibbelin explains how Ubisoft approached the recreation of Feudal Japan in the game. Here, he says that he was eager to avoid an “overriding stereotypical view” of the period, and wanted players to feel like they were experiencing it themselves.

Assassin’s Creed Shadow’s Creative Director Explains How Ubisoft Approached The Story

They didn’t want it to feel like a documentary

“We’re not trying to show Japan from a very clinical or an overriding stereotypical view,” says Nibbelin, speaking with GamesRadar+. “It’s not a documentary. We really wanted you to live this history.”

More specifically, Nibbelin says this is why we play as Yasuke and Naoe, since they let us experience different perspectives of the setting first-hand. “With just about all the cutscenes, we try to find ways to flavor them in terms of how the NPCs react to you,” he continues. “Between a samurai and a villager from Iga, the reactions of NPCs are going to be different, and we get to flavor these little variations and what they say, what their eye-lines do.”

Assassin’s Creed Shadows only launched a couple of days ago, so fans will still be making their way through the story now. However, early fan reviews are mostly positive, and Ubisoft just revealed that there are more than two million players already.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows

Released

March 20, 2025

ESRB

Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language

Developer(s)

Ubisoft Quebec