Ubisoft CEO Denounces Online Attacks After Assassin’s Creed Shadows Controversy
Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot has reacted to the “malicious and personal online attacks” directed at some of the company’s employees, denouncing these comments and standing behind his workforce. In an interview on the Ubisoft blog, Guillemot was asked to discuss what things about the video game industry dismay him and what makes him excited for the future. Starting with what dismays him, Guillemot singled out the online attacks, and though he did not mention any specific game by name, it appears he is reacting to the reaction by some fans to Assassin’s Creed Shadows.
“One thing I am concerned about right now is the malicious and personal online attacks that have been directed at some of our team members and partners,” he said. “I want to make it clear that we, at Ubisoft, condemn these hateful acts in the strongest possible terms, and I encourage the rest of the industry and players to denounce them, too. I am proud to support the amazing work of our teams and partners, and I will always trust in their creative choices. We should all celebrate the hard work and talent that goes into making video games.”
Shadows features two playable characters, one of whom is Yasuke, a Black man modeled after a real historical figure who lived in Japan in the 16th century, arriving in the island nation with Christian missionaries. Despite Yasuke’s status as a real person, some criticized the decision to include him in Shadows. Elon Musk weighed in, writing, “DEI kills art,” and it’s not hard to imagine what happened next.