Y’all need to stop hating on ‘Assassin’s Creed Shadows’

Gamers have already labelled Assassin’s Creed Shadows a failure based simply on previews and despite the fact that it hasn’t even come out yet. 

Let me say this clearly: I am one of the many who think the Assassin’s Creed franchise has gone stale. Mirage was a step in the right direction and gave me hope that the developers still remembered the good ol’ days of AC. You know, back when Ezio made assassinations and parkour look so dang good. I kept my fingers crossed that the next major entry into the franchise was going to build on this, that finally, the franchise was entering its renewal.

And now here we are, on the cusp of the release of Assassin’s Creed Shadows. This entry is finally, finally set in Japan, and from what we’ve seen so far it’s at the very least decent. You can’t really judge a game from trailers. But that hasn’t stopped people from needlessly hating on the game even as Ubisoft delayed its release to tweak it. Yes, I said “needlessly” because why in the world should we hate on a game that isn’t even out yet?

[Hero image: Ubisoft]

Why are we hating on Assassin’s Creed Shadows before it’s even come out?

It kinda sucks that this has to be clarified but PSA: “hate” is different from “criticism”. The social media age has emboldened people to spew whatever they want from the comfort of their keyboard and the anonymity of their username so we now think we can say whatever, whenever. 

I get that this is probably useless. Am I really trying to tell gamers not to spout vitriol when we’ve normalised trash talking when playing Fortnite or Marvel Rivals? It’s probably just wishful thinking but I’ll keep going anyway. This is also why I prefer to play single-player games. 

There are plenty of valid criticisms levied against Assassin’s Creed Shadows based on previews and trailers. Someone in IGN said that the stealth wasn’t that satisfying. Polygon mentioned that the mechanic to switch between the two protagonists was a little tedious. Some have raised concerns that the inclusion of Yasuke, an African samurai who actually existed, might be a case of tokenism. 

But these are all sadly overshadowed by the loud, obnoxious, and somewhat moronic hate. Aside from the mockery when Ubisoft announced three times that Shadows was delayed, the game has been ridiculed for… well, everything, it seems. Some say the game looks dated like it was from 2017 or running on the PS3. Perhaps their wifi or screen is the problem. Many are mocking Ubisoft for including Yasuke. Mind you, they’re not raising a concern about tokenism. They’re poking fun at the fact that there’s a black samurai in the game. We haven’t even mentioned how people who have expressed excitement over the game are ridiculed. 

Perhaps the lowest of all lows was when people started mocking the Shadows for having a mini-game where you paint a bird. That‘s why you hate this game? Seriously?

One user said, “The hate for this game is unreal.” I’ve been a gamer for a while now and even I have to agree that the level of utter disdain aimed against Shadows is shocking.

A loss of trust

The hate is definitely unwarranted especially since the game isn’t out yet. But it also reveals a bigger issue: Ubisoft losing gamers’ trust.

This is evident even with their previous releases. Star Wars Outlaws, despite being a good game, wasn’t a big commercial success. In fact, its disappointing sales was one of the main factors Shadows was delayed the second time. Far Cry 6, the latest entry to another Ubisoft tentpole franchise, was the second-lowest-rated title in the franchise. 

Though these two were arguably decent games, Ubisoft has also released its share of misses. Skull & Bones wasn’t what gamers thought it would be. XDefiant was disappointing. We haven’t even gotten to the controversies surrounding the company in the past years.

Gamers have lost faith in Ubisoft and the company has a long way to go before it can win it back. Sadly, it seems like they can do no right no matter what they do. This distrust and hate towards the developer has grown over the years. Unfortunately, it seems that “hate” is the default stance for whatever Ubisoft releases nowadays.

Cautious optimism

Image credit: UbisoftBut that doesn’t mean it’s right nor does it let Ubisoft off the hook. Clearly, the developer is paying its dues for the trust it’s lost with gamers. Will Shadows be able to win back some of that trust? I hope so. I guess we’ll see. 

That also doesn’t give gamers the right to dump hate on a game that hasn’t been released yet. I keep repeating that fact because we’re quick to call out people who praise a game based solely on trailers and gameplay videos. Shouldn’t it be the same when people hate on a game like that?

The reviews, previews, and trailers for Shadows look promising, but I’ve been wrong before. I’m cautiously and warily optimistic. I love this franchise, and I’m hoping that this will be the title to reignite my love for it once again. 

Assassin’s Creed Shadows will be released on March 20 on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC