Cultural appropriation, revision of history or just appreciation of the culture. What are your thoughts on Yasuke in the new Assassin's Creed.

shrike0fth0rns

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It’s not like assassin creed has earth shattering sales in Japan. And a handful of 🤡 do not reflect the opinion of an entire nation.
 

Swolf712

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According to the yearly trash ubisoft puts out and them posting losses majority of the years, the reveal video has more dislikes than likes and has the garbage of canada SBI involved in it.
That's nice, what does that have to do with choosing Yasuke as a protagonist being the problem as you suggested
 
26 Nov 2023
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I think there’s a lot of potential here for an interesting take on Yasuke. I’m quite happy to see him as a protag. The whole argument about the historical accuracy of AC is such a farce that’s being used to propel some pretty racist views. AC always told its own story within the confines of historical events but they took liberties in their portrayals of historical figures to fit their narrative, and that’s no different here.
 

quest4441

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That's nice, what does that have to do with choosing Yasuke as a protagonist being the problem as you suggested
The problem is they could have made life easier for themselves if they had a cool japanese dude with a katana like hatori hanzo, akechi mitsuhide, sanada yukimura, date masamune because as it is the game has the stench of ubislop attached to it. The 4 historical characters I mentioned are more important and interesting than a no name captured slave and is a mere footnote of japanese history.
 
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Swolf712

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The problem is they could have made life easier for themselves if they had a cool japanese dude with a katana like hatori hanzo, akechi mitsuhide, sanada yukimura, date masamune because as it is the game has the stench of ubislop attached to it. The 4 historical characters I mentioned are more important and interesting than a no name captured slave and is a mere footnote of japanese history.
Yasuke is interesting precisely BECAUSE so little is known about him. That fits right in with the sort of stuff Assassin's Creed loves to work with. Use the more mysterious character as your protagonist, have a lot more leeway with him as a result, and have the more established historical characters as your era narrative pieces.
 
26 Nov 2023
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The problem is they could have made life easier for themselves if they had a cool japanese dude with a katana like hatori hanzo, akechi mitsuhide, sanada yukimura, date masamune because as it is the game has the stench of ubislop attached to it. The 4 historical characters I mentioned are more important and interesting than a no name captured slave and is a mere footnote of japanese history.

Why would it be easier for them to have not chosen Yasuke?
 

Gediminas

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Why would it be easier for them to have not chosen Yasuke?
I worked on some narrative elements for the Sengoku Era of Japan for Assassin’s Creed back in 2013-2014 when I worked under contract in San Jose/Tokyo (Aeria). I guess they tossed all that out for Black Samurai and some canon-destroying Kunoichi-boss?
I’m so glad I’m not in that industry anymore. I guess it’s only fitting that my contributions to these studios vanish like everything else I worked on (every MMO shooter I have worked on has been shutdown).
Here’s a brief synopsis of the original story (from what I can remember — it’s been a decade):The plot focused on the young monk, “Yamauchi Taka” as the playable ancestor. “Taka” means “Hawk” to coincide with the then naming convention of every playable hero being named after a bird of prey (no idea if that changed with all of these newer, disjointed games that no longer have Desmond as the core hero that bound everything together).
The main conflict was about “The Sword of Eden” (aka “Excalibur”, “Honjō Masamune”, “Genghis Khan’s Sword”, etc.). and how it had given its latest wielder, Oda Nobunaga, an unfair advantage in his conquest of Japan.
After Nobunaga is assassinated by Hattori Hanzo, Taka becomes a part of the brotherhood and, under Hanzo, is trained as an Assassin (Shinobi). The brotherhood try to transport the recovered sword out of Japan but are beset by Jesuit (Templar) ships and it is lost.
To make matters worse,Hanzo is assassinated as he considers retirement as a monk. His lord, Tokugawa Ieyasu, charges Taka with finding the killer (and recovering the sword).
Despite Nobunaga’s successor, Toyotomi Hideyoshi acquiring the sword and going on a rampage that extends into Korea, Taka steals the sword back and mad Daimyo loses his power, weakening his campaign in Korea. Incensed by the theft, Toyotomi believes he was betrayed by the Templars and basically exterminates all Jesuits (Templars) in Japan. Taka infiltrates Toyotomi’s castle and faces him in a final battle, resulting Toyotomi’s death.
The ambitious daimyo is left to die as Taka slips away before his retainers could intercept him. The now seasoned assassin spares Toyotomi’s infant heir, knowing the clan has lost its teeth and will eventually wither without Hideyoshi. Ieysau begins his ambitious power grab, demanding Taka and the Brotherhood give him the sword and help him wipe away (“abstergo” in Latin) all of his enemies from Japan to fully unite it under his clan’s banners. Taka and the Brotherhood decline and vanish into the shadows with the sword.Oh well.

Black Samurai and Kunoichi it is. What a shame.

 
26 Nov 2023
637
825
I worked on some narrative elements for the Sengoku Era of Japan for Assassin’s Creed back in 2013-2014 when I worked under contract in San Jose/Tokyo (Aeria). I guess they tossed all that out for Black Samurai and some canon-destroying Kunoichi-boss?
I’m so glad I’m not in that industry anymore. I guess it’s only fitting that my contributions to these studios vanish like everything else I worked on (every MMO shooter I have worked on has been shutdown).
Here’s a brief synopsis of the original story (from what I can remember — it’s been a decade):The plot focused on the young monk, “Yamauchi Taka” as the playable ancestor. “Taka” means “Hawk” to coincide with the then naming convention of every playable hero being named after a bird of prey (no idea if that changed with all of these newer, disjointed games that no longer have Desmond as the core hero that bound everything together).
The main conflict was about “The Sword of Eden” (aka “Excalibur”, “Honjō Masamune”, “Genghis Khan’s Sword”, etc.). and how it had given its latest wielder, Oda Nobunaga, an unfair advantage in his conquest of Japan.
After Nobunaga is assassinated by Hattori Hanzo, Taka becomes a part of the brotherhood and, under Hanzo, is trained as an Assassin (Shinobi). The brotherhood try to transport the recovered sword out of Japan but are beset by Jesuit (Templar) ships and it is lost.
To make matters worse,Hanzo is assassinated as he considers retirement as a monk. His lord, Tokugawa Ieyasu, charges Taka with finding the killer (and recovering the sword).
Despite Nobunaga’s successor, Toyotomi Hideyoshi acquiring the sword and going on a rampage that extends into Korea, Taka steals the sword back and mad Daimyo loses his power, weakening his campaign in Korea. Incensed by the theft, Toyotomi believes he was betrayed by the Templars and basically exterminates all Jesuits (Templars) in Japan. Taka infiltrates Toyotomi’s castle and faces him in a final battle, resulting Toyotomi’s death.
The ambitious daimyo is left to die as Taka slips away before his retainers could intercept him. The now seasoned assassin spares Toyotomi’s infant heir, knowing the clan has lost its teeth and will eventually wither without Hideyoshi. Ieysau begins his ambitious power grab, demanding Taka and the Brotherhood give him the sword and help him wipe away (“abstergo” in Latin) all of his enemies from Japan to fully unite it under his clan’s banners. Taka and the Brotherhood decline and vanish into the shadows with the sword.Oh well.

Black Samurai and Kunoichi it is. What a shame.



Wait, who is this?
 

J_Paganel

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30 Jan 2024
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I worked on some narrative elements for the Sengoku Era of Japan for Assassin’s Creed back in 2013-2014 when I worked under contract in San Jose/Tokyo (Aeria). I guess they tossed all that out for Black Samurai and some canon-destroying Kunoichi-boss?
I’m so glad I’m not in that industry anymore. I guess it’s only fitting that my contributions to these studios vanish like everything else I worked on (every MMO shooter I have worked on has been shutdown).
Here’s a brief synopsis of the original story (from what I can remember — it’s been a decade):The plot focused on the young monk, “Yamauchi Taka” as the playable ancestor. “Taka” means “Hawk” to coincide with the then naming convention of every playable hero being named after a bird of prey (no idea if that changed with all of these newer, disjointed games that no longer have Desmond as the core hero that bound everything together).
The main conflict was about “The Sword of Eden” (aka “Excalibur”, “Honjō Masamune”, “Genghis Khan’s Sword”, etc.). and how it had given its latest wielder, Oda Nobunaga, an unfair advantage in his conquest of Japan.
After Nobunaga is assassinated by Hattori Hanzo, Taka becomes a part of the brotherhood and, under Hanzo, is trained as an Assassin (Shinobi). The brotherhood try to transport the recovered sword out of Japan but are beset by Jesuit (Templar) ships and it is lost.
To make matters worse,Hanzo is assassinated as he considers retirement as a monk. His lord, Tokugawa Ieyasu, charges Taka with finding the killer (and recovering the sword).
Despite Nobunaga’s successor, Toyotomi Hideyoshi acquiring the sword and going on a rampage that extends into Korea, Taka steals the sword back and mad Daimyo loses his power, weakening his campaign in Korea. Incensed by the theft, Toyotomi believes he was betrayed by the Templars and basically exterminates all Jesuits (Templars) in Japan. Taka infiltrates Toyotomi’s castle and faces him in a final battle, resulting Toyotomi’s death.
The ambitious daimyo is left to die as Taka slips away before his retainers could intercept him. The now seasoned assassin spares Toyotomi’s infant heir, knowing the clan has lost its teeth and will eventually wither without Hideyoshi. Ieysau begins his ambitious power grab, demanding Taka and the Brotherhood give him the sword and help him wipe away (“abstergo” in Latin) all of his enemies from Japan to fully unite it under his clan’s banners. Taka and the Brotherhood decline and vanish into the shadows with the sword.Oh well.

Black Samurai and Kunoichi it is. What a shame.


How dare you... How dare you make good use of the setting of feudal Japan?

In general, the quality of AC dropped significantly in Valhalla, when sidequests were de facto cut from the game and more emphasis was placed on open combat. The same can be said about the quality of the setting itself, which after the wonderful Origins only fell.
 
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CrackmanNL

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Let's GO! Culture warriors are gonna have a field day with Ubisoft at the end of the year with the uglified in-game Latino women in Outlaws and Yasuke in Shadows.

I can see Japanese folks being pissed that there is a game with finally an East-Asian MC in AC being taken away the spotlight.
And always great idea to set-up pre-orders with no gameplay trailer Ubi, as per usual excellent business.

Btw Sony they really set you up to announce Ghost 2.

Plotting The Simpsons GIF
 

Swolf712

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29 Jun 2022
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I worked on some narrative elements for the Sengoku Era of Japan for Assassin’s Creed back in 2013-2014 when I worked under contract in San Jose/Tokyo (Aeria). I guess they tossed all that out for Black Samurai and some canon-destroying Kunoichi-boss?
I’m so glad I’m not in that industry anymore. I guess it’s only fitting that my contributions to these studios vanish like everything else I worked on (every MMO shooter I have worked on has been shutdown).
Here’s a brief synopsis of the original story (from what I can remember — it’s been a decade):The plot focused on the young monk, “Yamauchi Taka” as the playable ancestor. “Taka” means “Hawk” to coincide with the then naming convention of every playable hero being named after a bird of prey (no idea if that changed with all of these newer, disjointed games that no longer have Desmond as the core hero that bound everything together).
The main conflict was about “The Sword of Eden” (aka “Excalibur”, “Honjō Masamune”, “Genghis Khan’s Sword”, etc.). and how it had given its latest wielder, Oda Nobunaga, an unfair advantage in his conquest of Japan.
After Nobunaga is assassinated by Hattori Hanzo, Taka becomes a part of the brotherhood and, under Hanzo, is trained as an Assassin (Shinobi). The brotherhood try to transport the recovered sword out of Japan but are beset by Jesuit (Templar) ships and it is lost.
To make matters worse,Hanzo is assassinated as he considers retirement as a monk. His lord, Tokugawa Ieyasu, charges Taka with finding the killer (and recovering the sword).
Despite Nobunaga’s successor, Toyotomi Hideyoshi acquiring the sword and going on a rampage that extends into Korea, Taka steals the sword back and mad Daimyo loses his power, weakening his campaign in Korea. Incensed by the theft, Toyotomi believes he was betrayed by the Templars and basically exterminates all Jesuits (Templars) in Japan. Taka infiltrates Toyotomi’s castle and faces him in a final battle, resulting Toyotomi’s death.
The ambitious daimyo is left to die as Taka slips away before his retainers could intercept him. The now seasoned assassin spares Toyotomi’s infant heir, knowing the clan has lost its teeth and will eventually wither without Hideyoshi. Ieysau begins his ambitious power grab, demanding Taka and the Brotherhood give him the sword and help him wipe away (“abstergo” in Latin) all of his enemies from Japan to fully unite it under his clan’s banners. Taka and the Brotherhood decline and vanish into the shadows with the sword.Oh well.

Black Samurai and Kunoichi it is. What a shame.


Some problems here.

One, that game and its concepts would have long been scrapped before this started development. The narrative that they "swapped" this for that is ridiculous. Two, it's kind of odd to describe her as "canon-destroying" with zero basis. Three, if he was working on concepts for this in 2014, how would he not know if naming conventions were not kept after Desmond's death when that happened in AC3 back in 2012? Black Flag and even Unity would have been in development at this point, he'd know about things post-Desmond. Also, the naming convention of birds was broken before that. Connor/Ratonhnhaké:ton's name is not at all associated with birds (Connor actually means "lover of wolves' and Ratonhnhaké:ton "life that is scratched") and Edward roughly means "prosperous guardian". Shay, in AC Rogue, also has a name unrelated to birds. So that's an odd complaint to toss in there.

Idk, that whole post reeks of weird to me lmao
 
26 Nov 2023
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Idk, that whole post reeks of weird to me lmao

Exactly why I’m asking who this is and why people are taking it at face value. Even if it’s true, like you said there’s so much inconsistent in that post. We have no idea what the extent of their work was a DECADE ago and how much of that was even accepted.