Ubisoft reportedly canceled development of its upcoming Assassin’s Creed game last year due to political concerns related to the planned post-American Civil War setting.
As Game File reports, the game would have been set in the Reconstruction period following the Civil War in the 1860s and 1870s, with players taking on the role of a former black slave fighting for justice in the South and confronting an emerging Ku Klux Klan.
However, Ubisoft reportedly canceled the project in part due to the reception of dark samurai Yasuke in this year’s Assassin’s Creed Shadows, which sparked a backlash over diversity and inclusion.
Game File spoke with five anonymous current and former Ubisoft employees involved in the project who were all excited about the game but frustrated by its cancellation.
Reportedly, news of the project’s cancellation leaked through Ubisoft from Paris last July, partly due to backlash against Yasuke, but also due to concerns about the current political climate in the United States.
“Too political in a country that is too unstable, in short,” said a source.
“I was terribly disappointed but not surprised by the leadership,” said another. “They are making more and more decisions to maintain the political status quo and are not taking any positions, any risks, even creative ones.”
Assassin’s Creed franchise boss Marc-Alexis Coté spoke with Eurogamer about the backlash against Yasuke last year following the game’s reveal. Addressing the “changing cultural landscape” around representation in media, he said: “These conversations can influence how our games are perceived, but rather than running away from these conversations, we should view them as an opportunity.
“Assassin’s Creed has always been about exploring the full spectrum of human history, and by its very nature, that history is diverse. Staying true to history means accepting the richness of human perspectives – without compromise.”
Last week, Ubisoft announced its new Tencent-funded subsidiary Vantage Studios, which will now be responsible for the company’s biggest franchises, including Far Cry, Rainbow Six Siege and Assassin’s Creed.
Then, earlier this week, Ubisoft revealed the Saudi-funded Valley of Memory DLC for Assassin’s Creed Mirage.
