Ubisoft addresses some Japanese concerns about Assassin's Creed: Shadows

Ubisoft officially announced Assassin's Creed: Shadows in May. The next game in the popular franchise is the first to take place in the time period of feudal Japan. Since that reveal, however, the game has come under heavy criticism by a number of Japanese natives, particularly about the game's character of Yasuke as a Black samurai.

Today, the official Assassin's Creed X account includes a lengthy statement from the game's development team that's directed toward Japanese gamers.

As part of the statement, the Shadows dev team admits that "some elements in our promotional material have caused concern within the Japanese community. For that, we sincerely apologize". The statement added that footage of the game that has already been released "is in development and the game will keep evolving until launch."

The statement added that while the development team has consulted with a number of experts in the history of feudal Japan, they are not responsible for the decisions that the Assassin's Creed: Shadows team has ultimately made for the game.

Having said all of that, the dev team does state that the game is not being made as a 100 percent historically accurate depiction of feudal Japan, and indeed it has a number of fantasy elements. The team also addressed the game's use of the character of Yasuke, stating:

While Yasuke is depicted as a samurai in Assassin's Creed Shadows, we acknowledge this is a matter of debate and discussion. We have woven this carefully into our narrative and with our other lead character, the Japanese shinobi Naoe, who is equally important in the game, our dual protagonists provide players with different gameplay styles.

The team says it will still continue to encourage feedback from from gamers "respectfully". Assassin's Creed: Shadows is currently set for release on November 15 for PC, Mac, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5 platforms.