News has emerged that a new entry in Ubisoft's flagship 'Assassin's Creed' series was cancelled early in development. The project reportedly featured a Black slave as the protagonist, fighting for justice against the backdrop of the American Civil War.

This report was released on the 9th (local time) by the gaming outlet 'Game File'. Through interviews with five current and former Ubisoft employees who requested anonymity, it was confirmed that the new 'Assassin's Creed' title, which was being developed with a setting during and after the American Civil War, had been scrapped.

According to the report, the game featured a Black man who had escaped slavery in the American South. The protagonist moved West to forge a new life, only to be recruited by the Brotherhood, eventually returning South to fight for justice. Along the way, he was set to clash with the KKK (Ku Klux Klan), the infamous white supremacist extremist group.

The project was cancelled in July of last year. Ubisoft management reportedly cited two primary reasons for the cancellation: the intense online backlash surrounding 'Yasuke', the Black samurai featured in Assassin's Creed Shadows, and growing concerns regarding the increasingly volatile political climate in the United States.

While most sources noted that game cancellations are not rare, they mentioned that pulling the plug for these specific reasons is unusual. One source familiar with the matter stated, "Simply put, they felt it was too political a subject for an unstable country."

Ubisoft has yet to issue an official statement on the report. Meanwhile, the company partnered with Tencent in March to establish a joint subsidiary focusing on Assassin's Creed, Rainbow Six, and Far Cry. In May, they formed an 'Assassin's Creed Innovation Committee' led by Charlie Guillemot, son of the Ubisoft founder. All eyes are on Ubisoft as they undergo major restructuring amidst ongoing financial difficulties.