For more than 15 years, Ubisoft has been at the forefront of pushing many of the issues that plague the gaming industry today. From draconian DRM to stripping away consumer ownership, the Assassin’s Creed developer was also quick to embrace always-online practices, predatory micro-transactions, and even try to make a digital platform to compete with Valve’s Steam. But the developer took things even further by habitually lying and saying whatever it needed to say in order to sell copies. Now, it has all culminated in a game that has checked off every box imaginable as to why you should boycott Assassin’s Creed Shadows.
From a technical and practical perspective, there are a number of reasons for why you shouldn’t purchase Assassin’s Creed Shadows. It comes with one of the worst forms of DRM called Denuvo. Not only does Denuvo affect game performance, but the Denuvo software for Ubisoft games is particularly intrusive as it monitors your RAM usage.
Yes, the DRM in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, a singleplayer game, will monitor your RAM usage. This means that PC gamers will have to agree to the End User License Agreement (EULA) that includes the section titled “CONSENT TO MONITOR” in order to play the game they purchase from Ubisoft in addition to requiring a third-party account (according to Ubisoft, you don’t need an Ubisoft Connect account on Steam for AC Shadows because it is embedded in the Steam installation).
Now, it’s one thing for a multiplayer game to utilize anti-cheat programs to try and prevent the losers who can’t get good at a game from ruining the experience for others. But it’s an entirely different matter when implemented for a singleplayer game such as Assassin’s Creed Shadows. And don’t forget that Ubisoft is dealing with a lawsuit over the allegation that it has been selling users’ personal data with Meta.
Which brings up the question, why would Ubisoft need to install such an intrusive DRM for Assassin’s Creed Shadows?
Simple, Ubisoft will heavily monetize the game, like it always does, and wants gamers to purchase things like “timesaver packs,” XP boosters, and all kinds of digital items from its digital Ubisoft shop. Why risk your PC getting hacked from some shady cheat developer when you can spend more of your money to legitimately cheat at the game or just buy that really cool digital item rather than grind for it?
The issue of greedy and predatory monetization by a developer or publisher is nothing new, nor is it exactly a major reason to boycott a game unless the grind is egregiously on par with a mobile game. But the Denuvo DRM used to make sure that consumers aren’t speeding up their experience, unless paying Ubisoft for the “privilege,” is the main point of contention.
Of course, when developers like Ubisoft go heavy with monetization, it’s not beyond the pale to assume that the game might have been developed to drive users to purchase those “convenient” little “gameplay enhancing boosters” to bypass grindy sections or get some cool items. Which then requires the consumer to consider whether or not it is worth buying a game that extracts vast amounts of time for little reward unless they are willing to spend more money.
As for Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ gameplay, there doesn’t seem to be anything new or innovative about it. It looks like any other Assassin’s Creed game and uses many of the same mechanics like previous installments, such as Naoe’s grappling hook which was in Assassin’s Creed Syndicate.
However, there is one glaring difference with Shadows than its predecessors.
The game provides a character that is anything but assassin-like. One of the main characters is Yasuke who is portraying a samurai. In doing so, playing as this character restricts the Assassin’s Creed-specific parkour gameplay to the other main character Naoe. It’s odd to see a character that fights with brutish abandon and charges through walls in order to attack his opponents, with the grace of a rampaging elephant, in a franchise where assassination, stealth, and blending in are the main points.
In this simple aspect alone, Yasuke is a betrayal of expectations in how the character is handled for an Assassin’s Creed game. Which is never a good sign when it comes to a franchise. It’s as if Ubisoft saw how successful games like Ghost of Tsushima were and wanted to make a budget Ghost of Tsushima – George Floyd Edition to try and sell them game to a certain audience. Except, if rumors are true, Ubisoft has created another betrayal of expectations in removing portions of Yasuke’s story for the gamers who were already interested in purchasing the game.
Yet, the technical aspects of Assassin’s Creed Shadows are also a legitimate concern for consumers. Early trailers and demos showed issues with the game and, considering Ubisoft’s history and continued release of buggy, unpolished games, consumers have a right to be worried that AC Shadows will be no exception. Especially since Ubisoft has pushed Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ release date back twice in order to try and fix the bugs among other things.
Unfortunately for the developer, the game still needs polishing when, on their own livestream of the game, they tried to pet a dog which didn’t work.
It’s an all-too-familiar result of games developed by Ubisoft. A fact that truly came to light in 2024 which was disastrous for games such as Skull & Bones and Star Wars Outlaws. Both of these major titles being released in an unpolished state that didn’t warrant the price tag and subsequently flopped.
Which is another reason why consumers shouldn’t purchase the Assassin’s Creed Shadows. No one should be paying $70 for any base game. Especially these days when the games being released are of lower quality than the games released over 10 years ago.
When it comes to boycotting a video game, there tends to be some simple things to quickly weed out in any specific game – DRM, always-online, third-party app requirement, EULA terms and conditions, graphics, country of origin such as China or Russia being the developer, and pricing. Issues which are easier to spot before delving deeper when it comes to the writing, character design, story elements, and even gameplay.
But for Ubisoft, one has to make additional prerequisites when it comes to whether or not you should purchase their games: deception and shady business practices. Ubisoft has a history of lying to consumers in order to get their pre-order numbers up. Whether it was lying about R.U.S.E. not having DRM back in 2010, to parroting the same lie about From Dust in 2011 and skipping all the way to touting that Skull and Bones was a “quadruple-A game:” the company has lied to make the sale. Not to mention Ubisoft deleting a video game from users’ libraries or still selling a multiplayer game that they stopped supporting that no one can play anymore.
Of course, it doesn’t just stop with lying to consumers. Ubisoft has also been very elusive when it comes to answering questions, or withholding information, from stockholders about the success or failure of their games. Especially when it came to the games released in 2024 by avoiding and obfuscating when it comes to specific details about Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ reception and even pre-order numbers.
You would think that all of the factors mentioned so far would be more than enough to help someone decide whether or not they should boycott Assassin’s Creed Shadows but, unlike most developers these days, Ubisoft once again went above and beyond the industry standard. It’s a factor that has become the biggest hotbed issue for many video game influencers and content creators to latch onto: DEI.
Up until now, when writing about games to boycott, such as Dragon Age: The Veilguard, we have focused mainly on the technical and creative aspects without having to point out the potential DEI factor. Mainly because such games are obviously bad or mediocre without having to delve into it, especially when it comes to the writing being especially bland or cringe in many cases (AC Shadows’ writing is rather bland from the trailers and doesn’t really grab our interest).
With Ubisoft, this is a more unique case because of how far the developer has gone in this regard. While some of 2024’s “woke” games featured the odd developer or community manager talking about their agenda, Ubisoft as a company was not afraid to make its position known. So it’s hard not to notice the black sheep that is DEi in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, because of how hard Ubisoft pushes DEI themselves.
While the Assassin’s Creed franchise is not known for its historical accuracy because it is a video game, that didn’t stop Ubisoft from suddenly making an exception when it comes to Assassin’s Creed Shadows. The whole Yasuke controversy blew up because Ubisoft declared that he was “a real-life historical samurai” and went on to promote that fact by interviewing historical fiction author Thomas Lockley who went to great lengths in manipulating and promoting his work, and himself, as an authoritarian on the matter (Lockley went on to delete his online presence due to the scrutiny).
Of course, video game journalists were quick to screech that anyone who questioned the authenticity of the “Yasuke is a samurai” narrative was a racist. Even though, by those same journalists’ standards, Assassin’s Creed Shadows is a racist game like Resident Evil 5.
We have a more indepth editorial about how Assassin’s Creed Shadows is a “DEI grift that is racist, sexist, and exemplifies cultural appropriation” that you can read for yourself. But the insertion of Yasuke as one of the main characters for an Assassin’s Creed game that is finally set in Japan is hard to accept. Especially as there is a rumor that Assassin’s Creed Shadows originally had a Japanese male samurai as the main character.
The main point of contention is not that Yasuke is in the game or a samurai. It’s that he is the main character and is promoted to be an historical samurai despite no evidence to support such a claim.
So why is Assassin’s Creed Shadows being accused of DEI and being woke?
Because of Ubisoft’s own words and the product shown that gives credence to this accusation.
Even without the rumor about Ubisoft choosing Yasuke because of the 2020 riots, it’s hard not to arrive at the conclusion that this historical figure being chosen was influenced by the George Floyd/BLM domestic terrorist riots. Nor is it hard to not think of DEI and the woke agenda when one sees the cast of allies in the game (obese quota and unattractive chicks quota reached), the amount of government tax incentives Ubisoft receives from Canada, and the company’s own promotion of DEI.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows was developed for the mythical “modern audience” that so many games released in 2024, like Concord, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, and Ubisoft’s Star Wars Outlaws, were also meant for. But, in doing so, it committed a cardinal sin that the Left is always talking about: cultural appropriation.
In declaring Yasuke as a “a real-life historical samurai,” Ubisoft appropriated Japan’s own history. Ubisoft has then gone on to steal copyrighted material which belonged to the Sekigahara Teppo-tai infantryman historical reenactment group (Ubisoft issued an apology to the group). It also used copied designs from anime, merchandised the “One-Legged Torii” gate, and many other faux pas. And we probably shouldn’t talk about the…watermelons.
It’s been so egregious that the Japanese started a petition to cancel Assassin’s Creed Shadows, have ratio’d its YouTube trailers, not to mention Japanese politicians, celebrities, and regular people speaking out against the game (there was a recent parliamentary discussion at the Japanese Diet just days before it is to be released). To the point where the Assassin’s Creed Shadows development team issued a press statement to the Japanese people. Yet, after that, gamers were introduced to the ugly, fat chick sumo wrestler who will be an ally in the game. However, in Japan, there has never been a female sumo wrestler and will never be because of how the Japanese treat the sport.
With all the controversy around Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed Shadows, this little video sums up the situation nicely, if messily, courtesy of one of the best scenes in cinema from “Chasing Amy.”#AssassinsCreedShadows #ACShadows #PCGaming #XBOX #PlayStation #videogames #Gamers https://t.co/r0qWSZqWBg pic.twitter.com/ll9seO6RzB
— Sean D Knight (@SeanDKnight) March 14, 2025
But, to bring it back around to Ubisoft having no scruples when it comes to lying in order to make sales, a recent quote is making the rounds from Ubisoft Creative Director Jonathan Dumont who is quoted to have said that the team is “trying to listen to the Japanese fans” with less than a couple weeks before the game is released. It’s a blatant PR move that is empty words but trying to assuage Japan and its consumer base which is not happy with Ubisoft’s game. More so in the wake of Ubisoft DMCA-striking YouTubers talking about Assassin’s Creed Shadows like Japanese YouTuber Shohei Kondo.
In addition, there is growing backlash from the Japanese over the desecration of shrines in the game and continued dissatisfaction overall. We can also point to the Boba tea incident in which there is an advertisement combining Assassin’s Creed Shadows with boba tea. Problem is, boba tea is not a Japanese thing. It originated in Taiwan and is a Taiwanese creation. Even the game’s March 20 release date stirred up controversy because it is the anniversary of a horrific terrorist attack in Japan (though we assume this was not intentional on Ubisoft’s part).
So if you don’t care about the technical reasons for why you should boycott Assassin’s Creed Shadows, that’s your decision. But if you are a fan of Japan, its culture, history, J-pop, anime, and manga, then you really shouldn’t be purchasing this game. Because Ubisoft, despite their constant statements about respecting Japan and doing their research – it is a blatant lie.
All Ubisoft had to do was make a fun game. Instead, they made a game with an agenda. Not to push a Leftist ideology, but to cater to as broad of an audience, though more targeted to Leftists, as possible at the expense of Japan and its people because they thought that was where the money would be.
By the way, not only is Ubisoft shutting down Japanese content creators who criticize Assassin’s Creed Shadows, but anyone criticizing their game with a focus X, Reddit, and YouTube calling it an “anti-harassment plan.” Ubisoft will also, allegedly, be receiving assistance from the Canadian government in this matter. Which is not surprising since Ubisoft Quebec receives around CA $1.1 in tax credits and subsidies.
So why aren’t you going to boycott Assassin’s Creed Shadows?
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