Picture this, you wake up, stretch, grab your coffee, and check your phone. The first thing you see? A mob of people arguing about whether a historical figure from centuries ago should be in a video game. Welcome to the modern internet, where history degrees are handed out with every Twitter login, and the most passionate debates of our time are over pixels and polygons.
Game development is a tough gig already with tight deadlines, crunch culture, and a never-ending supply of gamers who seem to believe they could do a better job from their couch. But lately, things have taken a turn.
It’s no longer just about whether a game is fun or innovative; it’s about whether it aligns with the ever-shifting cultural battleground of the day. And this time, the battlefield is Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Ubisoft’s upcoming historical ninja-samurai stealthfest.
Ubisoft gears up for the storm
Ubisoft, known for taking history and giving it a parkour-heavy, hidden-blade twist, thought it would be cool to feature Yasuke, a real-life African samurai, as one of the game’s protagonists. Historically accurate? Some scholars say yes. Others say no. But the internet? The internet says everything, all at once, and very, very loudly.
Ever since the game’s trailer dropped, some corners of the gaming community have been losing their collective minds. Some argue historical accuracy is being compromised, while others just seem upset that the lead character isn’t another brooding, stoic Japanese dude. The result? A storm of online backlash has escalated to the point where Ubisoft isn’t just bracing for negative reviews, they’re preparing for full-scale digital warfare.
According to Forbes, reports from France’s BFMTV suggest that Ubisoft is implementing an anti-harassment plan because apparently, game developers now need the kind of protection usually reserved for celebrities or politicians. Employees have even been advised to keep their Ubisoft employment under wraps on social media to avoid harassment.
The company’s comité social et économique, a legally required employee-elected group in French companies has also stepped in to help. Their solution? A dedicated team providing psychological and legal support for employees bracing for the inevitable flood of hate mail and threats.
The art of missing the point entirely
This isn’t the first time developers have had to deal with online mobs frothing at the mouth over wokeness in gaming. It’s become a recurring cycle, a game includes diversity, either in character design, story, or developer team. A portion of the internet reacts as if they’ve been personally betrayed. Harassment campaigns follow. Rinse and repeat.
We’ve seen it before. According to Forbes, The Last of Us Part II’s Laura Bailey, who voiced Abby, received death threats over a fictional character’s actions. According to ScreenRant, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey had players raging over the inclusion of female protagonists. At this point, even having the wrong t-shirt in a behind-the-scenes video can make you public enemy number one.
So, what does Ubisoft’s move say about the state of the gaming industry? Well, it confirms what we already know, the loudest voices online aren’t always the majority, but they sure are the most aggressive. The fact that a billion-dollar gaming company is treating online harassment like a natural disaster, prepping emergency plans, psychological aid, and legal support, should be a wake-up call.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
