'Assassin's Creed Shadows' Creative Director Says His Team Will Listen To "Good And Warranted Criticism"

Jonathan Dumont, the Creative Director for Ubisoft’s upcoming Assassin’s Creed Shadows recently shared that his team will listen to “good and warranted criticism.”

YouTuber Genki Gamer reported that he conducted an interview during an Assassin’s Creed Showcase in Kyoto, Japan and during that interview he asked about the various controversies surrounding the game in Japan.

Genki Gamer reported Dumont responded “told me that the team are focused on the game. They are trying to listen to the Japanese fans and if there is good and warranted criticism they will try to take it in. But on the whole they’re mainly focused on delivering an outstanding game.”

He added, “And they said it was an honor to be visiting Japan at this time.”

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Genki Gamer also shared more details about the game including that the game’s main story is expected to take between 30 to 40 hours to complete. However, with various side quests and recruitment missions “the game will be about 80 hours or more.”

Furthermore, he shared that Ubisoft is looking at implementing a New Game+ mode following the game’s initial release.

Dumont’s comments about listening to criticism are not surprising given Assassin’s Creed Executive Producer Marc-Alexis Côté made it clear the company was not interested in hearing complaints about the game being infected with DEI at the end of last year.

During a BAFTA Master Class appearance Côté said, “In today's shifting cultural landscape we face an additional and unforeseen challenge as discussions around representation and inclusivity in media have become increasingly prominent. These conversations can influence how our games are perceived but rather than shy away from those conversations we should see 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 embracing the richness of human perspectives without compromise.

“For example in Assassin's Creed Shadows we highlight figures both fictional like Naoe, a Japanese woman warrior and historical like Yasuke, the African-born samurai. While the inclusion of a black samurai in feudal Japan has sparked questions and even controversy, Naoe as a fictional character has also faced scrutiny for her gender. But just as Yasuke's presence in Japanese history is fact so too are the stories of women who defied societal expectations and took up arms in times of conflict. So while both Naoe and Yasuke’s stories are works of historical fiction they reflect the collision of different worlds, cultures, and roles. And their inclusion is precisely the kind of narrative that Assassin's Creed seeks to tell: One that reflects the complexity and interconnectedness of our shared history.”

He added, “We've consistently introduced protagonists from diverse racial, ethnic, and gender identities. History is inherently diverse and so is Assassin’s Creed and the stories we tell. So to be clear our commitment to inclusivity is grounded in historical authenticity and respect for diverse perspectives not driven by modern agendas.”

What do you make of this report regarding Jonathan Dumont’s comments?

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