Summary
- Assassin’s Creed Shadows has drummed up backlash over its queer romances, but Ubisoft was quick to remind players that they are completely optional.
- In fact, they aren’t even canon. If you play through the new ‘Canon Mode’, which makes every choice for you based on the ‘true events’ of the story, Naoe and Yasuke don’t romance anyone.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows came under fire before it had even launched last year for featuring queer romances, despite them being a staple of both Odyssey and Valhalla (Jacob Frye, one of two protagonists in Syndicate, is also bisexual).
But with the game now in the hands of players, the controversy over Yasuke and Naoe getting it on with same-sex partners, and even a non-binary character, has stirred up again.
Ubisoft was quick to address the backlash with a tongue-in-cheek post (via GamesRadar), poking fun at those complaining about queer romances. “Remember the fourth tenet of the Creed: Flirting in RPG games is always optional.” They only happen if you pursue them; as the old Doom addage goes, “you control the buttons you press”.
None Of The Romances In Assassin’s Creed Shadows Are Canon, Anyway
Not only are the romances in Assassin’s Creed Shadows completely optional, as was the case in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, which similarly came under fire for its own gay romance, but they aren’t canon.
Shadows has a brand-new feature which was implemented following feedback about Odyssey and Valhalla. The community wanted to know what choices were canon to the story, given that there are no world states like in Dragon Age or The Witcher — in the sequels, Ubisoft simply decides what happened in the last game, which often leaves fans confused.
If you played through Odyssey as Alexios, you’ll no doubt have been left scratching your head when Kassandra was the one to appear in Valhalla.
So, Ubisoft implemented the ‘Canon Mode’, which makes all the decisions for you based on the true events of the story. And in this mode, Naoe and Yasuke don’t romance anybody. Every single romantic endeavour you chase down in the game is optional and non-canon, so those queer romances are merely for the players’ enjoyment (read: whoever is strapped into the Animus).
Assassin’s Creed Shadows
- Released
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March 20, 2025
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language
- Developer(s)
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Ubisoft Quebec