A day one patch for Assassin’s Creed Shadows will remove a controversial feature of the game, following backlash from a number of people including Japan’s prime minister.
The Assassin’s Creed Shadows update is now live and makes a number of items located within shrines indestructible. The amount of blood shed by NPC’s in the various shrines and temples across Assassin’s Creed Shadows has also been reduced.
One viral video saw a player destroying a shrine modelled on the physical-world Itate Hyozu Shrine in Japan. Representatives of the sacred building went on to say they weren’t consulted about the shrine being included in Assassin’s Creed Shadows and would be taking “appropriate action”.
Speaking in Parliament yesterday (March 19) Hiroyuki Kada, who represents the constituency where the real Itatehyozu Shrine is located, said (via IGN). “I think it’s wrong to use it without permission and we’ll be keeping a close eye on this.
“I fear that allowing players to attack and destroy real-world locations in the game without permission could encourage similar behaviour in real life. Shrine officials and local residents are also worried about this. Of course, freedom of expression must be respected, but acts that demean local cultures should be avoided.”
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba added that he was also worried about the game inspiring people to vandalise temples across Japan. “Defacing a shrine is out of the question. It is an insult to the nation itself. Respecting the culture and religion of a country is fundamental, and we must make it clear that we will not simply accept acts that disregard them.”
Last year, Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ developer Ubisoft released a statement explaining that they had put “significant effort” into making the game’s Feudal Japanese setting as authentic as possible. “However, our intention has never been to present any of our Assassin’s Creed games, including Assassin’s Creed Shadows, as factual representations of history, or historical characters,” the statement continued. “Instead, we aim to spark curiosity and encourage players to explore and learn more about the historical settings we get inspired by.”
It’s also been reported that Ubisoft staff have been advised not to post online about working on the game to avoid harassment from players.
In other news, World Of Tanks has announced a crossover with Peaky Blinders for their latest limited-time event.
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