Assassin's Creed Shadows
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About
Assassin's Creed: Shadows is the name of the upcoming Assassin's Creed game set in Japan. The game, which takes place during the Sengoku period in Japan, stirred controversy online for continuing the conversation surrounding Yasuke, a retainer of Oda Nobunaga's in 1581.
History
On May 13th, 2024, the official @AssassinsCreed[1] X account posted a teaser image of a giant hourglass with sand counting down, stating that on May 15th, 2024 the official trailer for the game would be released (shown below). With the video shown, fans were already starting to speculate as to what would be shown in the trailer, and what it could possibly mean for the story, and the franchise as a whole, following Assassin's Creed: Mirage.
Assassin's Creed Codename Red becomes Assassin's Creed Shadows.
Tune-in for the Official Cinematic World Premiere Trailer on May 15, 9 AM PT.#AssassinsCreedShadows pic.twitter.com/xc1Q10N4Vh— Assassin's Creed (@assassinscreed) May 13, 2024
Later that same day, leaks from the game started to appear on social media, hinting at the player character being Yasuke, a prominent figure in Western interpretations of the Sengoku period of Japan. On May 14th, 2024, the YouTuber @EndymionYT[2] posted about the leaks, showing Yasuke as a main character and a female ninja named Naoe as the other playable character, with them gaining over 3,200 likes for their interpretation of the leak (shown below).
Online Presence
After the leaks had started to get around, the conversation relating to the game immediately became about Yasuke and his place within history. Yasuke, a historical figure who was an African retainer and sword-bearer within Oda Nobunaga's group, has seen significant presence within Western depictions of Japan that take place during that time period, with a Netflix show, several movies, and games made specifically about him.
Online, arguments about Yasuke and his relevance in media in relation to his historical context, with many claiming he wasn't a samurai and his feats are overexaggerated for Western media, were re-ignited, with the X user @Khaliltooshort[3] posting his thoughts and the historical context for Yasuke on May 14th, 2024 (shown below).
Assassin’s Creed being based in Japan and then NOT using a Japanese male protagonist is stupid. We know exactly why they’re using Yasuke (THE MESSAGE) and it’s annoying. It would be as dumb as having it based in Africa and deciding to use a white male protagonist. pic.twitter.com/nn9oK4RwKS
— Kaida 🌊 (@khaliltooshort) May 14, 2024
On May 15th, 2024, the official GameSpot YouTube[4] channel uploaded the cinematic trailer for the game. The trailer, showing the bond between Yasuke and Naoe as they fight through different scenarios under the banner of Oda Nobunaga, quickly received praise online for the graphics and design of the armor (shown below).
