Assassin’s Creed Shadows updated after Japan’s prime minister addressed concerns in parliament
The video game has been criticised for its depictions of Japan
Assassin’s Creed Shadows has been updated by video game giant Ubisoft in a day-one patch, after concerns about the game were addressed by Japan’s prime minister, Shigeru Ishiba, in parliament.
The game, released on 20 March, is set in Feudal Japan but has courted controversy, as some people have vented frustration at how its setting has been depicted.
Ubisoft’s latest entry in the Assassin’s Creed series has already been censored in Japan, compared with its Western release, because it was considered to be too gory to obtain a rating unless changes were made.
According to a report from IGN, on 19 March, Hiroyuki Kada, a Japanese politician and member of the House of Councillors of Japan, raised a question about the game, because players had the ability to deface and destroy shrines.
He is reported to have said: “I fear that allowing players to attack and destroy real-world locations in the game without permission could encourage similar behaviour in real life. Shrine officials and local residents are also worried about this. Of course, freedom of expression must be respected but acts that demean local cultures should be avoided.”
Kada seemed to be concerned that players being able to perform certain acts in the game could lead to them visiting Japan and replicating that behaviour in real life, with over-tourism already being blamed for an increase in cases of vandalism.
He is understood to have seen pre-release gameplay in which a shrine in his constituency was defaced.
Prime minister Ishiba is reported to have replied: “How to address this legally is something we need to discuss with the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“Defacing a shrine is out of the question – it is an insult to the nation itself. Respecting the culture and religion of a country is fundamental, and we must make it clear that we will not simply accept acts that disregard them.”
While it has not been confirmed if Ubisoft updated the game directly because of this exchange, the developer and publisher released a day-one update in which shrines are no longer destructible.
According to patch notes seen by IGN, changes include “tables and racks in temples/shrines are now indestructible” and “citizens without weapons no longer bleed when attacked, reducing unintended blood spill in temples/shrines”.
This update has been rolled out to all countries and not just in Japan. Ubisoft has previously issued reassurances that the game is not a representation of history and is a work of historical fiction.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows was released on 20 March on PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC.
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