After Woke ‘Star Wars’ Release, Ubisoft Stock Hits 9-Year Low
Adding race and sex politics to ‘Star Wars: Outlaws’ and ‘Assassin’s Creed: Shadows’ has not gone well for game maker Ubisoft.Adding race and sex politics to ‘Star Wars: Outlaws’ and ‘Assassin’s Creed: Shadows’ has not gone well for game maker Ubisoft.DEI-inspired Assassin's Creed game admits to being 'works of fiction' after backlash from Japan over black samurai
Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed Shadows has caused significant uproar in Japan due to creative licenses and historical inaccuracies.
The game focuses on the greatly exaggerated depiction of Yasuke, an alleged black samurai from the mid-1500s. Ubisoft turned the vague story of the "black slave" in Japan into a fierce and heroic samurai.
As expected, Japanese gamers did not take kindly to the setting of feudal Japan being used for a game inspired by diversity, equity, and inclusion.
The game has caused such great offense that Japanese political aides have made comments, and letters have been sent to Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology as well as to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, among others.
'Assassin's Creed games are works of fiction inspired by real historical events and figures.'
A petition regarding the "lack of historical accuracy and cultural respect" in the game is nearing 100,000 signatures.
"This game is based on the samurai of Japan, ignoring the fact that the samurai is the upper class," the petition continued. "Ubisoft continues to misunderstand the essence and role of samurai. This is a serious insult to Japanese culture and history and can lead to racism in Asia. We call on Ubisoft to immediately discontinue the launch."
Ubisoft initially decreed complaints to be hateful and essentially racist, with CEO Yves Guillemot making remarks in June 2024.
"I want to make it clear that we, at Ubisoft, condemn these hateful acts in the strongest possible terms," Guillemot said, according to Game Developer. "I encourage the rest of the industry and players to denounce them, too."
As YouTuber Shohei Kondo stated, the game's creative director, Jonathan Dumont, originally said the idea behind the black samurai character came from "looking for a character who could be seen by us as a samurai, someone who is not Japanese."
Ubisoft's response
As the backlash has only piled up, Ubisoft finally issued a lengthy statement in a blog post on July 23, 2024.
After a brief apology and recognition of the importance of Japanese history, the company essentially excused its ignorance as artistic license but still reserved the right to use the Japanese historical settings as it saw fit.
"We have put significant effort into ensuring an immersive and respectful representation of Feudal Japan. 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. Instead, we aim to spark curiosity and encourage players to explore and learn more about the historical settings we get inspired by."
The studio added that the game was "designed to be an entertaining video game that tells a compelling, historical fiction set in Feudal Japan."
Ubisoft attributed its apparent cultural appropriation to being a work of fiction "inspired" by real events:
"While we strive for authenticity in everything that we do, Assassin's Creed games are works of fiction inspired by real historical events and figures. From its inception, the series has taken creative license and incorporated fantasy elements to craft engaging and immersive experiences."
The studio then essentially admitted the story of Yasuke, as depicted in the game, is fictional.
"The representation of Yasuke in our game is an illustration of this. ... While Yasuke is depicted as a samurai in Assassin's Creed Shadows, we acknowledge that this is a matter of debate and discussion."
This was always the case, despite Ubisoft's attempt to push its game through without complaint.
The few seemingly authentic historical documents from the time allude to Yasuke as being a man-at-arms or apprentice and possibly participating in one-armed conflict but was never mentioned as being a samurai. The documents included the African being seen as a spectacle, with locals paying to see him, having never seen a black person before.
Yasuke also allegedly had his life spared after being referred to as "an animal [who] knows nothing."
"Since he is not Japanese, do not kill him," a document was translated to say.
Ubisoft has made 2024 the year of DEI-laden games and become one of the most- — if not the most- — criticized studios.
One of its executives pushed for gamers to accept subscription models and get used to not owning their games, while its subsidiary, Massive Entertainment, dove head-first into DEI with Star Wars Outlaws. The game features a masculine female lead character while the studio made heavy pushes about "trans rights" and Pride on its website and social media.
It is worth noting that a female main character is included in Assassin's Creed Shadows as well.
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Game developer Activision Blizzard accused of hosting 'struggle sessions' for white developers to discuss their 'privilege'
Video game company Activision Blizzard allegedly pushes employees to participate in diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and installs diversity officers to ensure DEI compliance for each video game.
Former Blizzard designer Mark Kern posted an allegedly leaked internal document that showed the studio — which develops popular titles like World of Warcraft and Call of Duty — has been pushing its extensive DEI work on its employees.
'Together, we will build a future that embraces diversity, fosters inclusivity, and empowers all.'
Kern also made other alarming claims that he said came from sources inside the company.
"I've been shocked at what my former co-workers have told me about Activision Blizzard. It's a very different place from what it used to be, when the games were better and we left politics out of it," he told Blaze News.
"Blizzard now has struggle sessions where white developers must discuss their privilege, and DEI emails go out every week. 'Non-mandatory' meetings that are clearly and openly mandatory, and now, review forms that have you rate how well you DEI/ESG."
"I've been told nearly every game design decision at Activision has to be run by DEI officers (their official title) that sit on the teams themselves. I hope that hasn't reached Blizzard itself, but I fear the worst," he added.
Activision representative Delaney Simmons did not address any of the above claims when asked by Blaze News. Among other questions, the spokesperson was asked about the alleged sessions and whether participation in DEI programs affects an employee's job standing. This article will be updated with any applicable responses.
Activision DEI Leaked! Plus:
- Your bonus and review depend on how hard you DEI.
- DEI Officers are installed on every dev team to ensure THE MESSAGE.
Of all the AAA Studios out there, my dev friends and contacts who have come forth tell me that @Ubisoft and @Activision are… pic.twitter.com/TDZqRn6v0o
— Grummz (@Grummz) May 16, 2024
In the alleged leaked email, said to be company-wide, Activision Blizzard shouts from the mountain tops about its DEI work.
The document was sent to Kern as an alleged internal leak, but Activision's Simmons told Blaze News that it was not "a leak," and then pointed to the company's 2023-2024 Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Report.
In the document, the studio boasted about its curation of "meaningful DE&I focused learning opportunities" and the creation of the "IGD council."
The acronym stands for "Inclusive Game Design," which later led to the company creating an IGD team.
According to its website, the Activision Blizzard IGD team is responsible for "embedding advocates, best practices, and innovations" in all the company's games.
This is to "ensure that our games are the most diverse, welcoming, and inclusive."
The apparent newsletter also bragged about working with "Minority-owned Businesses [sic] Enterprises" before thanking readers for their support in their dedication to "holistic inclusivity."
"Together, we will build a future that embraces diversity, fosters inclusivity, and empowers all," the letter closed. The document was signed by Casey Morris, the company's diversity, equity, and inclusion officer.
The DEI infusion did not end there by any stretch of the imagination. The company promoted a series of strange "employee networks" that are based on race or sexuality. These included "the black employee network," the "LGBT+ employee network," and the "multicultural employee network."
The company has even stated in its report that it introduced an "inclusion score" for its employees. The score represents "a quantitative measure of the extent to which employees feel welcomed, valued, and included within the organization."
This was used as a justification for the company collecting "DE&I Data," which means tracking race, sexual orientation, and ethnicity. Company data showed that it is over 60% white and 79% male.
Only 1% identified as nonbinary.
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Tiered video game pricing is a necessary evil
Ubisoft is not the most popular video game publisher these days. Popular search results for “Why is Ubisoft —” tend to point you toward “so bad,” “not working,” or “hated.” Regardless, the game maker best known for Assassin’s Creed, Rainbow Six, Far Cry, and Watchdogs notched a huge win by landing itself a Star Wars game: Star Wars Outlaws.
Star Wars is a highly coveted IP, and after being mishandled for a decade by Electronic Arts, the rights to Star Wars were opened back up to studios with winning game ideas for Lucasfilm. Ubisoft’s Star Wars Outlaws drops in August, but already the storm clouds of gamer resentment are gathering for Star Wars’ “first-ever” open-world title. Gamers aren’t happy with the announcement of tiered pricing for Outlaws, ranging from $69.99 to $129.99. In many ways, video game consumers are underserved when it comes to game quality, pricing, and choice, but anger around Star Wars Outlaws is misplaced.
Like with most rage directed at game developers, price is the sticking point for consumers and Star Wars fans waiting to play Outlaws. Ubisoft is offering different editions of the game starting at $69.99 for the base game and a pre-order bonus that includes cosmetic customization for your character’s speeder: $109.99 for that plus three days of early access before launch and a “Season Pass” for upcoming DLC expansions to the game. DLC stands for downloadable content and is usually extra quests, new storylines, and experiences.
For $129.99, consumers can get all of this as well as a digital concept art book for the game and more cosmetic “skins” for your player and vehicles. Lastly, Ubisoft offers Outlaws at $17.99 per month with its Ubisoft+ subscription, which gives subscribers access to all the perks plus 100+ other games from the company's library.
FandomWire called Outlaws tiers an “atrocious pricing strategy,” and the Gamer ran an article saying it was “slimy” and “Star Wars Outlaws has no business charging over a hundred dollars for Ultimate and Gold editions.”
What all of this really means is that the game itself costs $70, and if a gamer deeply desires a pink gun mod, a Han Solo costume for the player's character, a concept art PDF, and 72 hours of early access to the game, then gamers can purchase those things. This complaint encapsulates the long-running debate concerning pay-to-win tactics over rewards tied to merit.
DLCs are different. Game expansions used to be a la carte by design. A game would launch, it would hopefully be successful, and there would be a clear market demand for more content to be added to the game to keep players engaged. Star Wars Galaxies was an early Star Wars massive multiplayer online game with a remarkable base game, then a steady stream of DLC expansion packs that opened up new worlds and quests for players. They were usually around $25 apiece, and over the course of Galaxies’ run, you might have bought four of these DLCs before the game’s servers shut down in 2011.
Gamers are tired, and it’s understandable. AAA games from major studios are coming out very slowly, and they are increasingly being released in hasty fashion with work still to be done through digital updates. Ubisoft has slipped into this on a number of occasions. On top of that, you have the trend of in-game transactions and loot crates changing the relationship between gaming and rewards to be tilted in favor of those willing to pay for perks. This is what won Star Wars Battlefront the most downvoted post in Reddit history at the time it was made.
However, it is impossible to ignore that making games is not a cheap business any more. The resources needed to produce these games are only increasing. The demands of online multiplayer gaming with vast expansive worlds have led to games functioning almost like living documents that receive updates and expansions, requiring continuous revenue to fund the servers bearing the weight of the game’s success. The way publishers have kept prices down to date has been through the very models that gamers are frustrated by.
The world of video games has changed. Gone are the simple days of video game cartridges and disc collections. No studio has perfected a business model that’s both profitable and well liked by consumers in the digital age of gaming. However, a world without tiered pricing options would only further exacerbate identified problems, leaving gamers worse off in the process.
'Trans rights are human rights': Developers of new Star Wars Outlaws game publicly renounce 'oppression' and inequality
The developers behind the latest Star Wars Outlaws video game denounced oppression and inequality in a series of images about what equality means to them.
The Swedish developers at Massive Entertainment, a subsidiary of Montreal's Ubisoft, celebrated International Women's Day by posing with their arms sideways in an attempt to depict an equal sign, with #EachForEqual on their photos.
The team wasted no time getting into woke responses; the first female employee responded by saying equality, to her, meant "not having to do other people's emotional labor."
The first male employee stated that equality meant "renouncing all forms of oppression."
"Feeling safe without anxiety and fear of being judged," another employee added, while a succinct male employee simply said, "It's in the word."
A female employee, who appeared in a shirt that read "Baby it's [cold] outside" with the word "cold" missing — perhaps in protest to the 1944 song — said that equality meant "having representation" in games, which are "written and created by people from the communities we represent."
"That is huge," she added.
The lengthiest response was also the most buzz-word laden and political response.
"Equality means that all people — regardless of their birth or background — deserve the same respect and opportunity," a male employee began.
"For some, this will mean being provided aid so that they may aspire to rise above social, mental, or physical friction which might otherwise prevent them from succeeding," he continued.
"We're all on this boat together, and we don't have long on this ride. Be kind. Be weird. Be free. Trans rights are human rights," he added.
@Grummz There's more lol \ud83d\udc47\ud83c\udffb— (@)
Not all answers were infused with woke ideology; one male employee wearing a hat with a drink in his hand declared that the team was "here to work, and if anything, we should be judge[d] by our competences, not by the way we look."
Another simply said "respect," while others stuck to a reasonable definition of equality, taking it to mean that people should be treated fairly no matter their background.
The progressive responses are not atypical of the group, however, which boasts a feature image of pride flags on the company's page regarding commitments.
Participating in Malmo, Sweden's yearly pride parade, is listed as a company-wide commitment to "the belief that everyone should have the same value, rights, and opportunities – no matter who you love or how you identify."
"This commitment is deeply integrated in the Massive culture," the studio wrote. It added, "We share the common belief that diverse and inclusive teams have the possibility to make better games. In our continued support of diversity and inclusivity, we are proud to once again walk with Massive pride in the Parade."
Another commitment from the company is raising climate awareness in the video-game industry. Massive Entertainment entered into a partnership with 40 Nordic gaming companies, agreeing to make "the climate issue" one of the industry’s top priorities.
Recently we arranged a Bazaar at the Studio to celebrate Pride, love and human rights \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08\n\nOur creative co-workers sold handcrafted items, and in our pride shop one could buy Massive branded pride merch. Thanks to everyone who contributed \ud83c\udf08\n\n#AMassiveLife #Pride— (@)
Fans have complained that the developers of the Disney-owned Star Wars game have gone out of their way to make their lead female protagonist less attractive.
Actress Humberly González plays the character Kay Vess and has received an outpouring of both sarcastic and sympathetic commentary from gamers about her portrayal.
"I would be very upset what they did to your attractiveness and downplay it. I would have a lawsuit for bastardizing your looks. You’re a beautiful woman," one fan wrote on the actress' Instagram post promoting the game.
"I will be honest...you are a beautiful woman. What they (UBISOFT) did to your model in the game is an absolute disgrace...they changed everything to fit their narrative. You [deserve] better than that," another fan decried.
Another comment asked, "What's your opinion about making your character model ugly? Do you feel insulted?"
Western activists trying not to destroy real-life femininity challenge impossible. The model from Star Wars Outlaws should sue lmao— (@)
Needless to say, video game fans are growing fed up with DEI-laden gaming companies and their enforcement of progressive narratives.
Parent company Ubisoft hasn't helped its cause with its own statements related to its customers, either.
In January 2024, Philippe Tremblay, director of subscriptions at Ubisoft, spoke about the company's desire to push gamers toward a subscription-based model in which users do not own their own games.
"One of the things we saw is that gamers are used to, a little bit like DVD, having and owning their games. That's the consumer shift that needs to happen. They got comfortable not owning their CD collection or DVD collection. That's a transformation that's been a bit slower to happen [in games]," Tremblay explained.
The subscription executive rationalized his position by offering a surety that gaming progress would not be lost.
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'It's about feeling comfortable with not owning your game': Ubisoft executive pushes gamers to accept subscription models
An executive from popular video game publisher Ubisoft Entertainment stated that consumers need to get used to not owning their video games in order to move the market in a direction that is focused on subscription-based access.
Philippe Tremblay, director of subscriptions at Ubisoft, spoke to Games Industry about the company's rebrand of its subscription platform.
Tremblay said the revamp was due to a positive response from gamers who enjoyed having digital access to their back catalogue of titles.
While Tremblay stated that the point is not to "force users to go down one route or another," his comments eventually revealed a desire to push gamers toward a subscription-based model in which users do not own their own games.
"One of the things we saw is that gamers are used to, a little bit like DVD, having and owning their games. That's the consumer shift that needs to happen. They got comfortable not owning their CD collection or DVD collection. That's a transformation that's been a bit slower to happen [in games]," Tremblay explained.
The subscription executive rationalized the position by offering a surety that gaming progress would not be lost.
"As gamers grow comfortable in that aspect … you don't lose your progress. If you resume your game at another time, your progress file is still there. That's not been deleted. You don't lose what you've built in the game or your engagement with the game. So it's about feeling comfortable with not owning your game."
\xe2\x80\x9cYou will not own the games you paid for, and you will be happy.\xe2\x80\x9d -Philippe Tremblay, director of subscriptions at Ubisoft— (@)
The obvious pushback from proponents of physical media ownership has surrounded the publisher's ability to revoke access at any given time.
This can happen if a user loses access to his account or if certain content is simply removed. In December 2023, users lost access to their already-purchased episodes of shows from the Discovery network. More than 1,200 titles were removed from the PlayStation Network due to a change in licensing agreements.
"PlayStation will delete users’ purchased tv shows with no refunds" Nerdist wrote, while Forbes noted, "PlayStation store to lose more than 1,200 purchasable titles - with no refunds."
Director Christopher Nolan ("The Dark Knight," "Oppenheimer") also criticized digital media for this very reason in an interview with IGN. Nolan explained that access to digital products often relies on the status of a distributor's relationship with the platform providing access to the media.
"If you buy a [DVD], you buy a Blu-Ray, it's on your shelf, it's yours. No company is going to break into your house and take it from you, repossess it; you know it's yours and and you own it," Nolan explained. "That's never really the case with any form of digital distribution. You're relying on the continued health of the supplier, the company who's supplying."
Ubisoft's Tremblay attempted to quell such worries, saying he understood "the gamers' perspective with that." However, he did not address the realities expressed by critics like Nolan.
"As people embrace [subscriptions], they will see that these games will exist, the service will continue, and you'll be able to access them when you feel like. That's reassuring," Tremblay added. "Streaming is also a thing that works really well with subscription. So you pay when you need it, as opposed to paying all the time."
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