They say that if you kill someone without anyone knowing, it is an assassination. Well, Ubisoft’s management has truly mastered that 'Assassin's Creed' in the most literal sense. It has taken over a year for the world to discover that they quietly killed off a new 'Assassin's Creed' title which was set during the Reconstruction era following the American Civil War. The game was intended to feature a black male slave fighting for his freedom, depicting the harsh reality of racial prejudice and the chaos surrounding his confrontations with the KKK.

According to former and current Ubisoft developers, the project was axed primarily due to rising political tensions in the US and the fierce backlash against Yasuke, the protagonist of 'Assassin's Creed Shadows'. The company essentially pulled the plug on this new black lead because they were spooked by the Yasuke controversy. Yet, the core of that backlash wasn't merely about skin colour. Japanese history and Asian culture, it was Ubisoft's profound lack of understanding and their complete failure to communicate. Frankly, had they cast a white or Indo-Aryan lead, the result would likely have been the same. Still, the studio chose to oversimplify the issue as a 'black protagonist' problem to justify the cancellation.

Ubisoft has long postured as a champion of political correctness (PC). However, coupled with the internal sexual misconduct scandals that plagued the studio, this has increasingly felt like nothing more than performative virtue signalling. By failing to identify the real root cause and instead axe a protagonist who actually fit the historical setting, they’ve showcased yet another bout of erratic decision-making. The project was canned in July 2024, before Donald Trump’s inauguration, yet it remains a mystery why they were so hyper-sensitive to the US political and social climate while appearing utterly tone-deaf to the historical pushback they faced in Japan regarding 'Shadows'.

Recently, Ubisoft has turned to establishing an 'Assassin's Creed' innovation committee and partnered with Tencent to create 'Vantage Studios' aimed at strengthening their top three IPs. They talk a big game about autonomy and global competitiveness, but if they continue to inherit the same mindset that fails to read the room, the future looks rather bleak. The real issue for Ubisoft isn't about just having great IPs or high-fidelity games.