Highlights
- Assassin’s Creed Shadows trailer delivers on fan-favorite feudal Japan setting with high-octane action and dual protagonists, Yasuke and Naoe.
- Controversy surrounds the original story detailing a young monk’s quest with the Sword of Eden, prompting DEI backlash and leak confirmations.
- Former Ubisoft contractor shares scrapped details of Shadows’ original plot, highlighting mixed fan reactions and repurposing of narrative elements.
The Assassin’s Creed Shadows cinematic reveal trailer did not disappoint, packing high-octane action, protagonist overviews, and the lay of feudal Japan’s land into the nearly four-minute spectacle. Since this setting has been a highly requested fan-favorite for years, players had plenty of time to marinate their vision of this Japanese adventure. Furthermore, Ubisoft seemingly had an alternate narrative already mapped out before running with the samurai and shinobi.
The debut of dual protagonists, Yasuke and Naoe, was no surprise to the Assassin’s Creed community, as past leaks were spot-on regarding their inclusion. Portraying a real-life historical figure as the main character is a first for the franchise, but as expected, there was a bout of DEI backlash. This controversy also prompted a former Ubisoft contractor to share the intricate details of Shadows’ original story that was allegedly scrapped.
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Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ Original Sword Of Eden Plot
Responding to a post on X remarking “Assassin’s Creed in Japan pre-woke era vs. what we actually got”, the account @InfinitaleComic – used to promote the indie fantasy comic Infinitale: Chronicles – responded with an in-depth overview of Ubisoft’s alleged original plot for Shadows.
The comic account, run by author, graphic designer and former Ubisoft contractor, Chris Fisk, specified the original concept involved a young monk, Yamauchi Taka, with conflict revolving around Oda Nobunaga’s “unfair advantage in his conquest of Japan” after obtaining the Sword of Eden.
After Nobunaga is assassinated by Hattori Hanzo, “Taka becomes a part of the brotherhood and, under Hanzo, is trained as an Assassin (Shinobi). The brotherhood try to transport the recovered sword out of Japan but are beset by Jesuit (Templar) ships and it is lost.”
Fisk notes his previous roles in video game development on the comic’s website, naming Firefall, Defiance, and Assassin’s Creed: Memories, in addition to “multiple unreleased projects”. Within the same X post, Fisk mentioned “every MMO shooter I have worked on has been shutdown”, and added “I’m so glad I’m not in that industry anymore.”
It was also noted that several plot points in Ubisoft’s axed narrative were later repurposed in one of Fisk’s completed projects, the now closed card battle game Assassin’s Creed: Memories. The Sengoku Period of the mobile game’s narrative included the character Taka retrieving the Sword of Eden for Nobunaga.
Feedback on the contractor’s insight was largely positive. One fan replied “Anyone have a tissue? This is what I would’ve wanted.” Another simply stated “I would have actually bought that.” A third onlooker thought Ubisoft was “too late to make AC in Japan”, claiming Ghost of Tsushima and Rise of the Ronin “beat them to the punch”.
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