The Assassin’s Creed Shadows launch day is here and Ubisoft’s latest stealth RPG has finally arrived on Steam and other platforms. Reviews from both critics and players are strong, but, just before its release, AC Shadows has been met with controversy owing to the fact that players may destroy certain objects inside the shrines that are located within its world. Questions about Assassin’s Creed’s Shadows recreation of Japan have been raised in Japan’s parliament. Now, Ubisoft has quietly released an Assassin’s Creed Shadows day-one patch that removes players’ ability to damage particular objects inside the in-game shrines.
In our own Assassin’s Creed Shadows review, regular contributor Reid McCarter explains how the stealth game and RPG has some promising ideas and great visual design, but also struggles to maintain narrative momentum during its lengthy runtime. Elsewhere, the Assassin’s Creed Shadows Steam launch is progressing well, and the game has attracted a ‘very positive’ rating on Valve’s store so far, based on player responses.
On Wednesday March 19, Hiroyuki Kada, a Japanese politician and member of the House of Councillors, raised a question in parliament regarding the shrines in Assassin’s Creed Shadows and the fact that players have the option to damage and destroy certain objects of furniture within them.
“I fear that allowing players to attack and destroy real-world locations in the game without permission could encourage similar behavior in real life,” Kada said, according to a report ratified by IGN Japan. “Shrine officials and local residents are also worried about this. Of course, freedom of expression must be respected, but acts that demean local cultures should be avoided.”
Shigeru Ishiba, Japan’s Prime Minister, responded to Kada’s question: “How to address this legally is something we need to discuss with the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“Defacing a shrine is out of the question. It is an insult to the nation itself. When the Self-Defense Forces were deployed to Samawah, Iraq, we ensured they studied Islamic customs beforehand. Respecting the culture and religion of a country is fundamental, and we must make it clear that we will not simply accept acts that disregard them.”
Now, on the same day that Assassin’s Creed Shadows has been released, Ubisoft has deployed a patch that removes the ability to damage or destroy certain objects in the game’s shrines. Details of the update have not been shared directly to players yet and as of this writing are not published on the game’s Steam store page. However, they have been given directly to IGN.
“Tables and racks in temples/shrines are now indestructible,” the patch notes say. “Some objects like drums or bowls can still be broken as they are generic ones present everywhere in the world. Tables are still dynamic objects, so players can still move [or] push them.”
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