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Assassin's Creed Shadows went live yesterday, March 19, 2025, and though the title has been highly anticipated by many, Japanese politicians feel insulted by the depiction of players desecrating shrines.
The Prime Minister of Japan, Shigeru Ishiba, responded to a question regarding Assassin's Creed Shadows during an official government meeting. This meeting comes after Ubisoft had already apologized for certain marketing tactics and in-game aspects that upset those in Japan, but the inaccuracies go deeper than Ubisoft initially thought.
For context, some within the Japanese community discussed the game's depiction of Feudal Japan, which led Ubisoft's development team to issue an apology via X, stating,
"Despite these sustained efforts, we acknowledge that some elements in our promotional materials have caused concern within the Japanese community. For this, we sincerely apologize."
It has been reported that not only were the marketing materials causing an uproar, but in-game mechanics and features have "insulted" the Japanese community.
Japanese Prime Minister insulted by Shrines being vandalized in Assasin's Creed Shadows
Yesterday, the Prime Minister of Japan, Shigeru Ishiba, responded to a question from Japanese politician and member of the House of Councillors of Japan, Hiroyuki Kada, about the Shrines within Assassin's Creed Shadows being vandalized. In response to this question, Prime Minister Ishiba states,
"Defacing a shrine is out of the question - it is an insult to the nation itself. When the Self-Defense Forces were deployed to Samawah, Iraq, we ensured they studied Islamic customs beforehand. Respecting the culture and religion of a country is fundamental, and we must make it clear that we will not simply accept acts that disregard them."
The issue lies within the ability to destroy tables and racks within Shrines and Temples in Assassin's Creed Shadows, and it also raises concerns for players taking that destructive behavior into the real world.
Kada mentions that Shrine officials and local residents are worried that allowing players to desecrate Shrines in Assassin's Creed Shadows could encourage people to do so in real life. While Kada states that freedom of expression "must be respected", acts that "demean local cultures" should not be present in-game.
Ubisoft confirms a day-one patch to make tables and racks in Shrines indestructible
Ubisoft has confirmed a day-one patch has already been released, revealing the patch notes to IGN. Here are the patch notes according to IGN:
- Players no longer getting stuck inside movable objects after dodging forward and interacting with them in kofuns
- Fix for procedural weapons being removed incorrectly when selling items
- Adjustments to prevent players from going out of bounds when proning against objects
- Improved horse navigation, reducing issues with turning and blocked paths
- Lighting adjustments for cave, kofun, and architectural entrances/exits
- Fixes for cloth clipping on Yasuke’s outfits (while riding) and Naoe’s outfits (while crouching)
- Citizens without weapons no longer bleed when attacked, reducing unintended blood spill in temples/shrines
- Tables and racks in temples/shrines are now indestructible (Some objects like drums or bowls can still be broken as they are generic ones present everywhere in the world) (Tables are still dynamic objects, so players can still move/push them).
There are two big changes here that are worth noting. Tables and racks within Shrines and Tables are now indestructible, and citizens who do not wield weapons will no longer bleed when attacked to reduce blood spilling within both Shrines and Temples.
While this may not completely quell the issues raised by Japanese politicians and citizens, it is a step in the right direction for Ubisoft.
