Mounting Allegations Against Yasuke Author Thomas Lockley Leads To Departure From Social Media Platforms

Ubisoft’s recently announced Assassin’s Creed Shadows has become the center of controversy and backlash. Set in Feudal Japan, the game focuses on Yasuke, one of two main protagonists and a historical figure, as being one of the first black men mentioned in Japan’s history. However, Ubisoft’s and Thomas Lockley’s claim that Yasuke was a real, historical samurai has led to overwhelming scrutiny and debunking of this claim and into Thomas Lockley himself, leading to his abrupt departure from all social media platforms.

The mounting allegations against Lockley, who co-authored the historical fiction novel “African Samurai: The True Story of Yasuke, a Legendary Black Warrior in Feudal Japan,” continues to increase. From people pointing out that Lockley allegedly edited Yasuke’s Wikipedia page in order to make his work a “credible source,” making claims such as excluding sections of his book for the Japanese version, to Yasuke having descendants, and that Yasuke himself was a samurai has resulted in not just gamers, but Japan taking notice. There is also a petition pointing out many of these issues and asking Nihon University, where Lockley is an associate professor, to look into what is occurring.  

Recently, Senator for the House of Councilors Satoshi Hamada took to Twitter stating that he was looking into Ubisoft and its game Assassin’s Creed Shadows and asking for feedback from Japanese citizens regarding “historical alterations.” This includes many erroneous things in regards to Japanese architecture, artwork, agriculture, and overall culture that the game has gotten wrong as pointed out by Japanese gamers and also the Yasuke character.

Prominent social media voices, such as former video game executive Mark “Grummz” Kern and accounts like @MangaLawyer, have been vocal in pointing out the issues with Lockley’s work and the credibility given to him by journalists supporting his unsubstantiated and fictitious claims about Yasuke. 

As the allegations continue to expand and become more noticeable to the general public, Thomas Lockley posted his decision to step away from the spotlight. 

“Thank you for your support over the years. Due to hate mail connected with the Assassin’s Creed game, with which I have nothing to do and have no intention of playing but many people seem to think I am responsible for, I will be freezing this account. I hope not forever, but who knows.”

Lockley’s claim of not having anything to do with Assassin’s Creed Shadows is an odd one since Thomas Lockley was on an episode of the Echoes of History podcast talking about the game and Yasuke while also writing an article for Extra History, an official website for BBC History Magazine that was published May 17, 2024, which is about Yasuke and mentions Assassin’s Creed Shadows in the article’s second opening paragraph which states,

“Now Yasuke is set to be one of the playable characters of Assassin’s Creed: Shadows, with the upcoming installment of the time-hopping series taking us to feudal Japan. Unlike most Assassin’s Creed protagonists, Yasuke is a real historical figure. Here, historian Thomas Lockley explores the African samurai’s life.”

Shortly after Thomas Lockley’s announcement to depart from social media, the majority, if not all, have been deleted or made private. Lockley’s linktr.ee account socials section no longer works for his YouTube channel, Instagram account, Facebook, and Rumble, as well as his Linkedin account has been deleted, but still appears in a Google search.

Editorial – Video Game Journalism’s Infatuation With Thomas Lockley’s Yasuke Narrative Is Indicative Of The Industry’s Prevailing Rot

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