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[Black_Stride]

In before people call this woke.

Lmao OF COURSE !! I can't be surprised anymore by this shit.

Good reason to skip the game

I can't stand this woke BS

Damn.

 

[Honey Bunny]

Oh right my mistake, I'll amend my statement.

Clearly "left-wing identity politics" has lost all meaning at this point.

Turns out if you cast a black dude as a lead in a game not set in Africa, then you're dabbling in identity politics. Doesn't matter if the black dude literally existed in the place and was a well known figure.

The anti-woke crowd has actually successfully invented their own mind virus.

I would call excluding asian male protagonists for a black one in a game set in feudal Japan left-wing identity politics, yes.

Asians are for some reason left out of most left wing calls for minority representation in media.

 

[Black_Stride]

I would call excluding asian male protagonists for a black one in a game set in feudal Japan left-wing identity politics, yes.

 

[Red5]

Nah, it's a very useful shorthand for 'left-wing identity politics'.

I would call excluding asian male protagonists for a black one in a game set in feudal Japan left-wing identity politics, yes.

They are for some reason left out of most left wing calls for minority representation in media.

Was "Nioh" "left-wing identity politics" too?

If these rumors are true, the writers want to tell the story of a historically factual character that existed in Japan, they're not making him up out of thin air and shoehorning him in, he existed and the writers want to tell his story through the AC universe. Should his story never be told? Should we blame history for being "woke" now?

 

[Raonak]

I would call excluding asian male protagonists for a black one in a game set in feudal Japan left-wing identity politics, yes.

They are for some reason left out of most left wing calls for minority representation in media.

You're literally using SJW arguments lmfao.

The only ones turning this into identity politics is you and your crazy herd of mind virus patients.

Woke: REEEEEEEE
Anti-Woke: REEEEEEEEE

 

[Black_Stride]

Was "Nioh" "left-wing identity politics" too?

If these rumors are true, the writers want to tell the story of a historically factual character that existed in Japan, they're not making him up out of thin air and shoehorning him in, he existed and the writers want to tell his story through the AC universe. Should his story never be told? Should we blame history for being "woke" now?

Quoted for truth!!!!


The anti-woke crowd are so weird they are bigger snowflakes than the people they call snowflakes.

 

[Honey Bunny]

Was "Nioh" "left-wing identity politics" too?

If these rumors are true, the writers want to tell the story of a historically factual character that existed in Japan, they're not making him up out of thin air and shoehorning him in, he existed and the writers want to tell his story through the AC universe. Should his story never be told? Should we blame history for being "woke" now?

I doubt it, because it was Japanese-created, it was probably purely a marketing decision to try to appeal to westerners. It pissed me off too, but luckily no-one was playing Nioh for the story.

As for telling the story, that's fine, but I'd prefer a story about a Japanese samurai, not a foreigner in Japan.

 

[KrazyKrelian]

ITT: Those who like to overuse woke accusations vs those who deny wokeness even exists. Anyone care to talk about the game?

 

[Honey Bunny]

You're literally using SJW arguments lmfao.

The only ones turning this into identity politics is you and your crazy herd of mind virus patients.

Woke: REEEEEEEE
Anti-Woke: REEEEEEEEE

I don't care what you call me, do you disagree with my point or not?

 

[FinalBossWithTheMostPower]

Oh so unless the character is of a different race then expectations can truly be subverted? Clearly, there are no other ways to create, interesting stories without changing the characters race. Bravo.

If that's what you took from what I said, then, OK.

 

[Moriarty1889]

Ok Ubisoft…………….

 

[sankt-Antonio]

Cool. Before someone calls this woke or something, he did exist and served with Oda Nobunaga:

Yasuke - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

It’s still woke. One guy happened to be black in the thousand year samurai history. A foot note at best. Imthecaptain now.gif

 

[Raonak]

I don't care what you call me, do you disagree with my point or not?

Yeah I do disagree with your point because it's fundamentally false.

The vast majority of western game set in Asia features an Asian MC. Tenchu, sleeping dogs, Ghost of Tsushima being the latest. Even the previous AC games set in Asian countries feature Asian leads.

This is literally the first mainstream game with Yaskue as the MC.

Take off your identity politics goggles.

 

[Honey Bunny]

Yeah I do disagree with your point because it's fundamentally false.

The vast majority of western game set in Asia features an Asian MC. Tenchu, sleeping dogs, Ghost of Tsushima being the latest. Even the previous AC games set in Asian countries feature Asian leads.

This is literally the first mainstream game with Yaskue as the MC.

Take off your identity politics goggles.

You're restricting your criteria to games set in Asia. Why? There are loads of Asians in the west.

That's like if someone asked 'do you think black people are underrepresented in western games' and you replied 'No, the vast majority of games set in Africa feature a black MC.'

 

[Topher]

I doubt it, because it was Japanese-created, it was probably purely a marketing decision to try to appeal to westerners. It pissed me off too, but luckily no-one was playing Nioh for the story.

As for telling the story, that's fine, but I'd prefer a story about a Japanese samurai, not a foreigner in Japan.

We already have that with Ghost of Tsushima. Could very well be Ubisoft is looking to differentiate their game from GoT which borrows many gameplay elements from AC already. Nothing wrong if you would rather the game be about Japanese samurais, but I don't understand how anyone can assume the choice to base the story on Yasuke has to be because of identity politics. To me, there has to be more to it than what we know before we can throw out the "woke" card.

 

[NeoLed]

Man, they could set this up as Oda being the Father of Understanding here with Yasuke being to fill the role as a Templar counterpart. This would make for a far more interesting story.

Exactly, the leak said two protagonist. The female shinobi in the assassin team

I dare anyone in the "black samurai is so cool, look there was even this one samurai among millions who was black so this is totally legit" crowd to also say "playing a white dude within Shaka Zulu's army would be so cool, finally someone will tell the tale of Nathaniel Isaacs".



And yet, the stupidest thing in all of this is still by far to make an Assassin's Creed game set in Japan and them make it about Samurai instead of Shinobi.
That is astronomical levels of head up their ass, much more than going with the only black samurai known in History.

Dude, do you read the full article? They said two protag, one samurai (black) and one shinobi (female)

 

[scoobidoo112]

Interesting, especially after having played Nioh. Wonder if they'll redesign the combat around katanas.

 

[ergem]

I have zeros issues with any race as my protagonist, unless it was done because of an agenda. I don’t feel like this is one of those. Looking forward to know more about the game.

Disney woke shit though, it’s agenda-driven and it’s disgusting.

 

[Sentenza]

Fun fact: the entire notion of “samurai” as depicted in dramas, modern literature, manga and anime (the often-honorable swordsman, entirely dedicated to swordsmanship and self-improvement) is an artifact, a recent invention. A romantic embellishment.

Most “historical” samurai were paper pushers of questionable military competence and dubious martial prowess.

 

[Honey Bunny]

We already have that with Ghost of Tsushima. Could very well be Ubisoft is looking to differentiate their game from GoT which borrows many gameplay elements from AC already. Nothing wrong if you would rather the game be about Japanese samurais, but I don't understand how anyone can assume the choice to base the story on Yasuke has to be because of identity politics. To me, there has to be more to it than what we know before we can throw out the "woke" card.

I agree, we don't even know if this is true yet, and I'm sure a foreigner story set in Japan sounds easier to sell to a western market than a Japanese-centred one.

Still, it's naive of people to think these own company's stated diversity and inclusion policies couldn't have anything to do with such a decision. If companies made these decisions purely on marketing to the largest playerbase, we'd never have gotten most modern black or female MCs in the first place.

 

[Topher]

I agree, we don't even know if this is true yet, and I'm sure a foreigner story set in Japan sounds easier to sell to a western market than a Japanese-centred one.

Still, it's naive of people to think these own company's stated diversity and inclusion policies couldn't have anything to do with such a decision. If companies made these decisions purely on marketing to the largest playerbase, we'd never have gotten most modern black or female MCs in the first place.

Wait.....what "policies" are you referring to? HR hiring policies?

 

[YuLY]

In before people call this woke.

So people calling it exactly what it is. Got it.

People have been asking for a Japan AC game for almost a decade, and when they finally get, instead of playing...you know, as a japanese character, they found that one black dude in history that fit and made him the male playable character. Miss me with that shit, its exactly wokeness and agenda.

Nobody is asking for a white character, is it too much to have a japanese guy in a historical game set in Japan ?? if you think yes, then you are already lost tbh.

I do wonder for how long are the white male demographic which represent the main portion of audience for core games, will eat this up and just accept it. I wonder if we let the black women for example that are filling the games now, buy the games to support this industry, how long it will take until its dead.

Its simple, i'm a white dude, I want to play as a white dude, because I like to identify with the char, it's like pretending that I'm the character, you know, escapism from mundate real life. You cant accomodate that? I'm not interested in your game, I will let the black women support you and your 100mil+ budget, good luck. Obviously when it fits, its great and I dont mind, for example Wei Shen in Sleeping Dogs, I loved the char and the game.

 

[Honey Bunny]

Fun fact: the entire notion of “samurai” as depicted in dramas, modern literature, manga and anime (the often-honorable swordsman, entirely dedicated to swordsmanship and self-improvement) is an artifact, a recent invention. A romantic embellishment.

Most “historical” samurai were paper pushers of questionable military competence and dubious martial prowess.

It's an invention, but not a recent one, they were idealised back then too. Just as there were high-minded chivalric orders in the West, when in reality many of their knights wouldnt mind a good rape and pillage.

 

[Honey Bunny]

Wait.....what "policies" are you referring to? HR hiring policies?

Diversity, inclusion and equity goals.

 

[ToTTenTranz]

When did Ubisoft say this game was previously going to be focused on Shinobi?

This looks like a Samurai to you?

Where are you getting the game director's "virtue signaling priorities" from?

From the fact that they chose to represent a very specific 0.0005% of the Samurai during the late XVI century period. 20x less than that if we count on all Samurai that existed.
And for that they apparently decided to use Samurai instead of Shinobi which were Japan's closest to the Hashashiyn, by far.


To claim this has zero component of ideology and/or an ESG boosting measure is naivety at best.

 

[Topher]

Diversity, inclusion and equity goals.

I think it is silly to make assumptions based on stuff like that when just about every multi-national corporation including Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, etc. have similar policies.

 

[mortal]

Ubisoft turning into Netflix now? lol

I don't get it. Are you claiming that Yasuke wasn't actually a black African in Japan?
Otherwise, your revisionist history joke doesn't make any sense here.

 

[YuLY]

I don't get it. Are you claiming that Yasuke wasn't actually a black African in Japan?
Otherwise, your revisionist history joke doesn't make any sense here.

I think what he is actually trying to say is that we couldnt give a less fuck about Yasuke. We want to play as a japanese male in a game set in Japan.

 

[Honey Bunny]

I think it is silly to make assumptions based on stuff like that when just about every multi-national corporation including Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, etc. have similar policies.

I think you really need to have the blinders on if you think this stuff has no influence in these organizations.

404

Not Found

www.ubisoft.com

 

[Moriarty1889]

Finally an AC game set in Asia and what do we get??? A black samurai…………that’s like finding a unicorn in a forest full,of deer. Would have been to easy to have an Asian protagonist. Ubisoft trying so hard to look progressive like other companies who do the same stupid shite. A black female lead, a strong black male character, a butch or gruff white girl and of course the bumbling buffoon of an idiot white guy just thrown in for good measure. This is what’s happening in so many games as of late. Hard pass for me.

 

[Topher]

This looks like a Samurai to you?

Very well could be the female Japanese character referred to. If that's the case then they didn't "kick out" anything.

From the fact that they chose to represent a very specific 0.0005% of the Samurai during the late XVI century period. 20x less than that if we count on all Samurai that existed.
And for that they apparently decided to use Samurai instead of Shinobi which were Japan's closest to the Hashashiyn, by far.


To claim this has zero component of ideology and/or an ESG boosting measure is naivety at best.

Nope. I'm just not making assumptions.

 

[Red5]

So people calling it exactly what it is. Got it.

People have been asking for a Japan AC game for almost a decade, and when they finally get, instead of playing...you know, as a japanese character, they found that one black dude in history that fit and made him the male playable character. Miss me with that shit, its exactly wokeness and agenda.

Nobody is asking for a white character, is it too much to have a japanese guy in a historical game set in Japan ?? if you think yes, then you are already lost tbh.

I do wonder for how long are the white male demographic which represent the main portion of audience for core games, will eat this up and just accept it. I wonder if we let the black women for example that are filling the games now, buy the games to support this industry, how long it will take until its dead.

Its simple, i'm a white dude, I want to play as a white dude, because I like to identify with the char, it's like pretending that I'm the character, you know, escapism from mundate real life. You cant accomodate that? I'm not interested in your game, I will let the black women support you and your 100mil+ budget, good luck. Obviously when it fits, its great and I dont mind, for example Wei Shen in Sleeping Dogs, I loved the char and the game.

But it does fit, Yasuke is real and fought and killed on the side of Oda Nobunaga, how can you say it doesn't fit when it happened and was recorded in history?

Moreover we're talking about a fictional historical setting where aliens exist, so it fits even more if Yasuke and his Portuguese master brought the Templars to isolated nation of Japan.

A japanese samurai game starring a Japanese protagonist exists and is great, Ghost of Tsushima. The writers and directors here have creative agency and want to differentiate themselves.

 

[mortal]

I think what he is actually trying to say is that we couldnt give a less fuck about Yasuke. We want to play as a japanese male in a game set in Japan.

1) Who the fuck is "we"? I don't recall asking you to speak for me, nor that person.

2) Your asinine response still doesn't address how that joke is relevant, considering there is no revisionist history happening here.

 

[Red5]

I think what he is actually trying to say is that we couldnt give a less fuck about Yasuke. We want to play as a japanese male in a game set in Japan.

Play Ghost of Tsushima, solved.

 

[Topher]

I think you really need to have the blinders on if you think this stuff has no influence in these organizations.

404

Not Found

www.ubisoft.com

And I think you are too eager to draw a line between HR policies and the creative choice of character in a video game. So we just disagree.

 

[X-Wing]

- Oh my god, Assassin's Creed in Japan. Finally I can be a Japanese ninja or samurai.

Ubisoft: here's the only black samurai we can find specially just for you.

The funniest thing about it will be the temper tantrums some people will throw because of it.

 

[YuLY]

But it does fit, Yasuke is real and fought and killed on the side of Oda Nobunaga, how can you say it doesn't fit when it happened and was recorded in history?

Bro miss me with this. If the game was called Assassins Creed Yasuke , and it was about the dude's life, yes you could say that it fits. But its going to be played either as female or male (i imagine the female is japanese) so it will be shallow af regarding the dude's story, its basically just a pretext so they can woke. Nah I'm good.

 

[X-Wing]

I think what he is actually trying to say is that we couldnt give a less fuck about Yasuke. We want to play as a japanese male in a game set in Japan.

Because there isn't a single game out there that fits this description.

 

[Red5]

Bro miss me with this. If the game was called Assassins Creed Yasuke , and it was about the dude's life, yes you could say that it fits. But its going to be played either as female or male (i imagine the female is japanese) so it will be shallow af regarding tihe dude's story, its basically just a pretext so they can woke. Nah I'm good.

Did Nioh piss you off too?

Or did it get a pass because of the the protags lighter complexion?

In any case like I said, Ghost of Tsushima is alreay available and it will definitely have a sequel.

 

[YuLY]

Did Nioh piss you off too?

I dont care about Souls-likes. You keep bringing up Tsushima, not everyone is a playstation gamer.

 

[nkarafo]

Turns out if you cast a black dude as a lead in a game not set in Africa, then you're dabbling in identity politics. Doesn't matter if the black dude literally existed in the place and was a well known figure.

But is it about this specific black dude though?

Ok, let's say you cast a white dude as a lead in a game that's about Africa and African people's culture.

How do you think people would react? Would you think that's "dabbing in identity politics"?

I don't give a shit about identity politics anymore but i'm always annoyed by the double standards of the left.

If these rumors are true, the writers want to tell the story of a historically factual character that existed in Japan, they're not making him up out of thin air and shoehorning him in, he existed and the writers want to tell his story through the AC universe. Should his story never be told? Should we blame history for being "woke" now?

But is it about this specific person?

What if it's not? Will you change your stance then or are you going to find some other reason to justify it?

 

[Peroroncino]

Ffs just let me play as an Asian dude... ahhh... there's always Rise of the Ronin and (fuckin' hopefully) Ghost of Tsushima 2.

 

[ToTTenTranz]

Ok, let's say you cast a white dude as a lead in a game that's about Africa and black people's culture.

How do you think people would react? Would you think that's "dabbing in identity politics"?

This question has been asked at least three times in this thread and not one of the people defending Yasuke's decision as a creative one has been able to answer so far.


I'd bet thousands against these same people deciding to defend Ubisoft's hypothetical decision to put a blond protagonist within Shaka Zulu's army (which existed) or an asian as the protagonist next to Simon Bolivar.

We know which skin color tones contribute to virtue signaling and ESG scores. We know Caucasians and Asians don't fit those.

 

[Red5]

But is it about this specific person?

What if it's not? Will you change your stance then or are you going to find some other reason to justify it?

I'm basing my opinion on the available info which suggest the protag, one of them at least, is Yasuke.

I dont care about Souls-likes. You keep bringing up Tsushima, not everyone is a playstation gamer.

Pretty sure they're going to port over to PC soon enough.

 

[Reizo Ryuu]

Sorry, I am not one to purposefully ignore parts of a game entirely to rush through a story. I want to take it all in and enjoy the full product, even on replays.

Oh come on, it's a ubisoft open world game, most players don't 100% them even on the first playthrough, it would be very, I guess impressive?, if you still went for all side activities (quests, collectibles, secrets, gear) for subsequent playthroughs especially since after you've done a handful of side quests in origins, you've done them all; go kill these bandits, go rescue this person, go get this artifact, oh now also fight these bandits, they are completely detached from the narrative and add nothing to it.
There's absolutely nothing wrong with just trying to enjoy the story; that's not "rushing through a story", it's trying to enjoy very narrative you said was decent, without being forced into side activities that add nothing to it.

 

[Shifty1897]

Considering Ubisoft needs a ton of copies sold in order to stay afloat, it's surprising they chose to have a black main character when they know it will cost them some sales.

 

[Raonak]

Maybe the anti woke would be less upset if they race swapped yaskue into a Japanese dude

 

[ungalo]

If they had to really make a game about Yasuke (or a black person in feudal japan in general) more or less accurately it would be very offensive towards japanese culture/history since obviously how black people were perceived at the time, more like an attraction.

Something tells me it's not the road they're going to take. So in that sense yes it feels a little ridiculous as a choice because it probably serves very little purpose (not that the character will not have a specific background and all that).

 

[Sentenza]

It's an invention, but not a recent one, they were idealised back then too. Just as there were high-minded chivalric orders in the West, when in reality many of their knights wouldnt mind a good rape and pillage.

I use "recent" in relative terms. As far as I know a lot of current tropes about samurai, ninjas, bushido and what else were "seeded" into Japanese popular culture in the late 1800s or so. With novels, theater productions, etc.

It's a bit like the myth of "karate" being the bread and butter of hand-to-hand combat in feudal Japan "for centuries", when in reality before the 1920 it was relegated as limited regional phenomenon in Hokkaido and then brought up to "national relevance" only because authorities in Japan fell in love with modern boxing and decided that they needed to have a national equivalent of it.

 

[nbkicker]

Simple for me , dont agree with anything todo with a game or game studio then dont buy the game or support that company