Ubisoft Cancels Assassin's Creed game about the American Civil War due to backlash over Yasuke

Ubisoft has abandoned development of an Assassin's Creed game set during the American Civil War and the Reconstruction period after it. According to Game File, citing five current and former employees of the company, the project was canceled in 2024 due to the negative reaction to the black samurai Yasuke in Assassin's Creed Shadows and political tensions in the United States.

According to sources, the game was about a former slave who, after being freed, moved west, joined the Brotherhood of Assassins, and eventually returned to the southern states to confront groups like the Ku Klux Klan.

The game was set during the Civil War of 1861–1865, a conflict between the northern states of the Union and the southern states of the Confederacy, which supported the preservation of slavery. The victory of the North led to the abolition of slavery, but the Reconstruction period after the war was marked by violence, racial unrest, and the restoration of white supremacy in the South.

The developers believed the game could have an important social message, but Ubisoft executives deemed the subject matter too controversial. One source said the company decided not to take the risk because "the country is too unstable."

In addition to political reasons, financial ones also had an impact - 2024 became difficult for Ubisoft due to delays, unsuccessful releases, and falling shares.

By the way, details about the remake of Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag have recently appeared on the network. The game will be released in the first half of 2026. The project will place greater emphasis on RPG elements, which Ubisoft has been actively implementing since the release of Assassin's Creed Origins.