Assassin's Creed Shadows Pre-Orders Surge Despite Protagonist Controversy

Assassin's Creed Shadows is posing for a good start despite controversies emerging from its fanbase as pre-orders for both the $70 and $110 packages months ahead of the game's release.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Insider Gaming's Tom Henderson reported that pre-order numbers are "looking very strong" amid calls to boycott the game.

It can be remembered that a massive boycott and harassment campaign was launched against the Assassin's Creed Shadows developers after the game's first trailer.

The backlash stemmed from one of the installment's main characters, Yasuke, a real-life African samurai (warrior) under the service of the daimyo (feudal lord) Oda Nobunaga during Japan's Warring States period.

Many criticisms surround the supposed historical inaccuracies in the game, including the game's depiction of Yasuke as a samurai.

It is worth noting that Assassin's Creed has long left accurate historical depictions in previous titles in favor of science-fiction and mythological elements.

Yasuke has also been portrayed as a samurai in other Japanese games like Nioh and Samurai Warriors 5, not to mention a Netflix animated series.

Ubisoft Face Backlash Over Assassin's Creed Shadows Pricing

While most criticisms targeted one of the characters' ethnicity, a growing number of players have also become vocal against the Assassin's Creed Shadows pricing.

A departure from the usual $60 in AAA games, Assassin's Creed Shadows' base game can only be purchased for $69.99, while its "Gold Edition" goes up to $109.99.

The $70 pricing will be in addition to the rumored battle pass system available in the game's launch.

Assassin's Creed Shadows is scheduled to release as the 14th main installment in the franchise on Nov. 15 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Windows, Mac, and Amazon Luna.

Assassin's Creed Shadows Can be Played Offline

To avoid further controversy, the Assassin's Creed official X page has already clarified that the game "will not require a mandatory connection at all times," allowing players to enjoy the game offline.

It can be remembered that a massive boycott, a successful one at that, was launched after Xbox's competitor Sony required all Helldivers 2 players to link their accounts to the region-locked PlayStation Network.

The announcement caused a massive backlash on the game as its Steam page rating went down to "Overwhelmingly Negative" in just a few days.

Sony later revoked the account linking requirement but remains unavailable in countries that have no PlayStation Network.