Report: Assassin's Creed Game Canceled Due To Political Unrest

"The game would have reportedly been set during the post-Civil War Reconstruction era, and put players in the shoes of a formerly enslaved Black man. This man would be recruited by the titular Creed and would return to the South to fight for justice for his people. The game would have even portrayed the founding of the white supremacist organization the Ku Klux Klan. 's sources say canceling this game in July 2024 was Ubisoft "bowing to controversy" after racist backlash to , the Black samurai in Assassin's Creed: Shadows , and concern that portraying a Black man's life in the Reconstruction era would be "too political in a country too unstable.""

""I was terribly disappointed but not surprised by leadership," a source told . "They are making more and more decisions to maintain the political 'status quo' and take no stand, no risk, even creative.""

"The game was in the concept phase and had been approved by Ubisoft leadership, and though it was still years away, it was canceled because the company was already dealing with hostility over Yasuke's inclusion in and, seeing the current political climate in the United States, was wary of releasing a game that may have been seen as divisive."

Ubisoft canceled a concept Assassin's Creed game set during the post-Civil War Reconstruction era that would have cast players as a formerly enslaved Black man recruited by the Creed to fight racial injustice in the South. The project planned to depict the founding of the Ku Klux Klan and broader Reconstruction-era struggles. Cancellation occurred in July 2024 after backlash connected to prior inclusion of a Black samurai character and concerns that a Reconstruction-era story would be perceived as politically divisive amid U.S. instability. Financial setbacks and corporate risk aversion following underperforming titles also contributed to the decision.

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