Like a hidden blade right to the heart. You may have noticed the recent controversy around Assassin's Creed Shadows, the last hope of flagging game developer Ubisoft – and if you haven't, I'm jealous of you. While for the most part it looked like more Assassin's Creed – bland, bloated and not likely to turn the company's fortunes around after several flops in a row – a certain faction of capital G Gamers nonetheless catapulted the game into the limelight by getting really, really mad about being able to play as a black person. (One of the game's two protagonists is Yasuke, a little-known but very real slave-turned-samurai who served under Oda Nobunaga.)
Because of this, a game that is a solid 5/10 (more of a bowl of unseasoned oatmeal than something that'll actively get you sick) is being raked across the coals, with even Elon Musk taking a day off from tearing down the federal government to get in on the action. Musk criticized a streamer for accepting an Assassin's Creed sponsorship, only for the official account itself to chime in.
Ouch. You may remember Musk admitting to paying people to achieve the gaming records he bragged about, which in my book disqualifies him from having any video game opinions ever again for the rest of time. Elon Musk sycophant, prominent culture warrior and failed game developer Grummz was also caught in the crossfire when Ubisoft went for the double assassination.
Will this make me buy Assassin's Creed Shadows? No. But did it make me laugh? Absolutely. If Ubisoft brought this kind of conviction to its actual games, they might start making good ones again – but as it is, I'm going back to the other excellent feudal game released this year.
Previously:
• Ubisoft going 'all in' on Assassin's Creed
• Funny article about gamers enraged at everything except layoffs
