Ubisoft has patched out the ability for players to destroy shrines and temples in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. The day one patch was released after a Japanese politician raised concerns that people might hypothetically try to reenact clips of shrines being defiled, and the Prime Minister of Japan said that these acts wouldn’t be tolerated.
I’ve already explained the Prime Minister’s reaction and how the entire conversation was largely in the context of an existing problem of tourists disrespecting sacred sites – just this week, a site featured in Ghost of Tsushima was closed for the same reason, despite that game not allowing you to destroy them anyway. I was very annoyed at the fact that this was framed as an issue of gamers potentially wanting to intentionally deface these monuments. As we all know, the vast majority of people are able to understand that you’re not supposed to slash up shrines with a katana, and that doing something in a video game isn’t actually going to instigate that in reality.
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It’s All Manufactured Outrage
But what annoyed me more is that this hypothetical was essentially prompted by Assassin’s Creed detractors (which is perhaps too kind a word) who wanted to have a legitimate reason to heap backlash on Shadows. A lot of the noise thus far has been based around Yasuke, one of its protagonists, ‘not really being a samurai’, which is disrespectful to the Japanese people who wanted to be properly represented.
Never mind that Yasuke is the only protagonist of an Assassin’s Creed game who actually has any basis in historical reality at all. Also, forget that Naoe, a Japanese woman, is a playable protagonist too.
Since that angle has failed to take – it doesn’t look great when your entire movement is based around ‘I don’t like the Black protagonist’ – the same bad actors are now once again trying to manufacture outrage on behalf of an entire nation by claiming that the destruction of shrines in a video game is disrespectful. Both angles are similar in that they claim it’s about respect for the Japanese people.
When Has Assassin’s Creed Ever Respected Anything?
It’s truly ridiculous to ask that from a series like Assassin’s Creed, a game that simply does not respect anything. This is the series that portrayed Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia, who became Pope and therefore the most deified man in the world’s biggest religion, as a Grand Master of the Templar Order. It gave us a game where we beat the snot out of the Pope. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla made an entire mechanic out of burning down monasteries, pillaging them, and using the stolen materials to upgrade your own settlement. If we’re talking about respecting religion, where’s the backlash to that?
Why does Japanese culture get special treatment? Is it not absurd to assume that the Japanese people are so sensitive that they can’t deal with a couple virtual broken tables in imaginary shrines in a series long known for letting you stab historical figures and parkour all over sacred places? Every religion is sacred to someone. If Ubisoft didn’t care then, then it shouldn’t care now.
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To patch this out is, put simply, self-censorship. Worse, it has been triggered not by a government that actually cares about historical accuracy and respect for the sacred in video games, but by those who wanted a reason to force Ubisoft to capitulate. And capitulate it has.
It’s a small and probably unnoticeable change. I personally don’t care to destroy shrines in games or kill random bystanders, and I was never going to, because you control the buttons you press. Shadows doesn’t even incentivise the destruction of these shrines like in Valhalla; it’s an entirely incidental thing you can do if you’re mucking around. It doesn’t tell you that you should, and not even that you can – in fact it previously asked players to show respect before patching it out entirely – it’s just an application of video game physics that spans the whole game.
In Assassin’s Creed, we’ve scrambled up historical monuments. We’ve murdered historical figures in cold blood. We’ve allowed the series to present alternate histories and ourselves perpetuated them again and again. The people speaking out about historical accuracy and respect of cultures now are acting in bad faith, and studios are giving them legitimacy.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Experience an epic historical action-adventure story set in feudal Japan! Become a lethal shinobi Assassin and a powerful legendary samurai as you explore a beautiful open world in a time of chaos. Switch seamlessly between two unlikely allies as you discover their common destiny. Master complementary playstyles, create your shinobi league, customize your hideout, and usher in a new era for Japan.
• Explore the captivating open world of feudal Japan, from spectacular castle towns and bustling ports to peaceful shrines and war-ravaged landscapes. Adventure through unpredictable weather, changing seasons, and reactive environments.
• Become Naoe, a shinobi Assassin, and Yasuke, a legendary samurai, as you experience their riveting stories and master their complementary playstyles. As Naoe, use stealth to avoid detection and agility to confound your enemies. As Yasuke, strike your foes with lethal precision and power. Unlock new skills, gear, and progression independently for each character.
• Make information your weapon as you explore the world, and build your own network of spies to be your eyes and ears across locations to hunt down your next target. Along the way, recruit new allies with unique abilities to help accomplish your missions.
• Create a fully customizable hideout for your growing shinobi league as you train your crew, craft new gear, interact with key characters, and choose your base’s layout, decorations, and accessories.