No, ‘Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ Is Not Getting Banned in Japan, as PM Comments on Game’s Controversial Element
Assassin’s Creed Shadows still hasn’t come out, but the game has already created a lot of controversies, with the latest one coming from Japan. The game is scheduled to be released on March 20, 2025 worldwide, but some people feared that it might get banned in Japan.
This is due to the fact that people online started spreading rumors and false interpretations of what the Japanese Prime Minister, Shigeru Ishiba, said in the Diet recently. Here is the whole story.
In a recent session of the Imperial Diet, Liberal Democratic Party member Kata Hiroyuki asked a question about a video where Yasuke is destroying a shrine in the game:
Wake up, Ubisoft “defender,” and hear our voice! What kind of Assassin’s Creed game destroys an actual religious site? Japanese culture is consumed but receives no respect. Here is a perfect example. pic.twitter.com/UsfWMgy53n
— Shohei Kondo (@shoheikondo) January 31, 2025
The video caused quite a stir in Japan, as its content was interpreted as being offensive and insulting. The MP said:
I’d like to ask about the Assassin’s Creed issue.In the game, the samurai protagonist smashes drums, sacred mirrors, and altars inside the worship hall of a shrine that appears under its real name. He slashes at people who appear to be priests, shoots arrows, and engages in other violent mayhem. When I asked the chief priest, he said that the game company had not contacted the shrine to ask for permission to use the name.
Ishiba’s response to this was as follows:
It is absolutely unacceptable to graffiti a shrine. It is nothing but an insult to the country. It is natural to have respect for the culture and religion of a country, and I think it is important to send out the message that we will not tolerate any behavior that does not respect the culture and religion of a country and will not tolerate it.
This was misinterpreted by many (intentionally or not, we don’t know), as a sign that Japan might ban the game, which is absolutely false. There is nothing that indicates that the government will take any form of action against the game itself, as Ishida said that they would not tolerate any real-life incidents.
We don’t know when these rumors started to spread, but we wanted to clear things up fo you and explain what actually happened. The game is coming out on March 20, 2025, and you’ll be able to enjoy it around the world.
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