Report claims Assassin’s Creed game was cancelled due to US ‘political climate’

Ubisoft has reportedly cancelled a planned Assassins Creed game that would have followed a former slave battling the Ku Klux Klan in post-Civil War America, amid concerns that the current political climate in the United States is too unstable. According to a report from journalist Stephen Totilos Game File, the scrapped project was set during the Reconstruction era, the turbulent period between 1865 and 1877 following the American Civil War. The unnamed protagonist would have been recruited by the Assassins to fight against the rise of the Ku Klux Klan among other things, blending the franchises historical storytelling with one of the most politically charged moments in US history. Developers familiar with the project told Game File that upper management in Ubisofts Paris headquarters pulled the plug on the game last year, citing fears over potential backlash and political controversy. Too political in a country too unstable, to make it short, one source said. Another developer expressed disappointment, adding, I was terribly disappointed but not surprised by leadership. They are making more and more decisions to maintain the political status quo and take no stand, no risk, even creative. The reported decision comes after the release of Assassins Creed Shadows, which faced criticism before launch for featuring Yasuke, a Black samurai based on a real historical figure, as one of its two playable protagonists. Despite the initial backlash, much of it centering on Yasukes race and supposed historical inaccuracy , the game went on to perform strongly, both critically and commercially. Some within Ubisoft reportedly believe the controversy surrounding Shadows made executives hesitant to greenlight another politically sensitive story. Management allegedly grew concerned that setting a game around racial violence and the KKK could provoke outrage in todays polarized environment. Ubisoft has long maintained that its games are not political, despite tackling themes of war, revolution, religion, and social control in franchises like Tom Clancys The Division and Far Cry. The company has been repeatedly criticised for avoiding clear political commentary even when its games are steeped in political history. Historically, the Assassins Creed franchise has not shied away from exploring slavery and racial oppression. Spin-offs like Assassins Creed III: Liberation featured Aveline de Grandpr, a mixed-race female assassin fighting against the injustices of 18th-century Louisiana, while Assassins Creed: Freedom Cry followed Adwal, a former slave who becomes an assassin and fights to dismantle the slave trade in the Caribbean. The cancellation of the Reconstruction-era title suggests a shift in Ubisofts risk appetite, as the company continues to struggle financially and faces mounting pressure to avoid controversy. Industry observers note the irony that Assassins Creed Shadows ultimately succeeded despite, or perhaps because of,  its bold creative direction. The episode reinforces what many developers have long argued: that loud online outrage often represents a vocal minority, not the broader gaming audience. As one industry analyst told GameCentral, Its sad to see a major publisher shy away from meaningful storytelling out of fear of backlash that, in practice, rarely translates into real-world consequences. Ubisoft has not officially commented on the reported cancellation.The post Report claims Assassins Creed game was cancelled due to US political climate appeared first on Linda Ikeji Blog.