Grummz on X - "Ubisoft is laying off people now because they know something you don't. They have the actual pre-order numbers for Star Wars Outlaws and Assassin's Creed shadows. If things don't turn around on launch day, there will be far deeper cuts. These cuts need to happen, like thinning the herd or removing debris from forests to prevent bigger fires. Ubisoft is absolutely infected with DEI and excessive bloat in hires. I hope they retain as many productive devs as possible and trim where the trim really needs to happen: deadweight activists and middle management."
PlayStation 5 Subreddit Permanently Bans User For Being Disappointed That 'Assassin's Creed Shadows' Did Not Feature Asian Male Main Character - "after Ubisoft released the first trailer for Assassin’s Creed Shadows that revealed the game will allow players to play a female shinobi named Naue and the African Yasuke, user Golemisbest reacted to it in the PlayStation 5 subreddit asking, “Any other Asian people disappointed that we don’t get an Asian male MC?”... The post in question has been removed and deleted from the subreddit as well: Ubisoft’s decision to make an African character and a female character the main characters for Assassin’s Creed Shadows has been met with a ton of backlash. While the trailer has over 5.6 million views on YouTube, it has over 401,000 dislikes and only 229,000 likes. Many of the top comments are criticizing the trailer and Ubisoft as a whole. One writes, “The most heroic thing about this trailer is that they left the comments open.” Another posted, “Remember this is Ubisoft. No Pre-Orders.” Still another added, “‘hey our Shogun was assasinated by a 6’5″ black gaijin, anyone seen him around town?'” One cracked, “From an Italian perspective, this looks like pineapples on pizza.”"
The progressive stack strikes again
Perma Banned | Facebook - "So in a now edited Famitsu article - Ubisoft devs actually confirmed that they chose Yasuke as their MC, breaking their tradition of fictional characters… Over what is essentially narcissism and some form of tokenistic behaviour? So its not because they wanted to craft the best experience possible in gameplay and Narrative, But because they want to validate their “centre of the world” sensibilities by inserting themselves into foreign history. Well that puts things into perspective now doesn’t it?"
Assassin's Creed subreddit starts banning anyone who complains about historical accuracy - "In Assassin’s Creed Shadows, you will play as two entwining characters, a female named Naoe, a deadly and skilled ninja, and Yasuke, a man to be believed by some as the first black samurai, the latter of which is the subject that has sparked heated debates online. Naoe is a fictional character created solely for Assassin’s Creed Shadows. However, whether Yasuke was really a samurai who had served under Oda Nobunaga until he was assassinated in 1582, a simple bodyguard, servant or someone of no real relevance, he is a real historical figure, no matter who he’s perceived to be. The story of any good Assassin’s Creed game has always been themed on a historical moment and has featured real historical characters, who have until now been NPCs. Yet, Yasuke is the first main playable protagonist in the series that was a real person. Assassin’s Creed Shadows also stirred controversy when it was revealed that there would be same-sex romantic options for both Naoe and Yasuke, as well as claims of stolen content, and having those elements thrown into Ubisoft’s makeshift version of history, many corners of the internet are not happy. This led to an apology by Ubisoft to the Japanese audience. It seems the topic of historical accuracy in Assassin’s Creed Shadows isn't going away any time soon and it may likely pick up more traction when the game is actually released. As such, and seemingly tired of the same conversations, GamesRadar has reported that Reddit moderators have now begun to ban those who complain about historical accuracy in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. “There is no "debate" - Yasuke was a Samurai. If you disagree, you can do that somewhere else,” reads the headline of a moderator of a Reddit post."
Grummz on X - "Why do they do this so much? The Yasuke Assassin's Creed Shadows controversy is part of a pattern. That pattern is historical revisionism via media and even official sources. Every dramatization now seems over eager to race swap historical figures for PoC. In Yasuke's case, he did exist, but actual historical sources were edited after the controversy to "support" the fiction. This is marxist revisionism (the latest Yasuke historian is also a communist and member of the far left party in Japan). This is what they do. They destroy the past, revise it, and gaslight you, claiming it was always that way. They even do this in fiction too, recall the 40k Female Custodes RUSH to fix all the wikis and claim "the lore was always this way." And this isn't limited to race swapping. There is a similar mass push to claim most historical figures were queer. See the latest on Abe Lincoln or all the recent tweets about Spartans. We can't have this. We either have truth, or we have nothing but zealotry and ideology. This will destroy civilization. They are asking us to live a lie. One side is lying to you, over and over, and if you question it, you are smeared and attacked for defending the truth. Defend the truth anyways! Thanks to @ZhorgLabs"
Grummz on X - "Look, what happened with Japan and Assassin's Creed Shadows was horrible. Real history was revised and rewritten to FIT the narrative of a VIDEOGAME. When they tried to support it with "experts" the leading expert turned out to be FAKE. This is not just about a videogame character, this is about how DEI is so INSANE that they would revise history to support a fake narrative, insulting an entire NATION in the process. This is why we fight. It's insanity."
The same people who say it's a videogame so it's fiction so it's okay to blackwash get upset over movies (even ones which are explicitly fiction like Gods of Egypt) which feature white people in originally non-ambiguously white roles (but they also get upset when Rami Malek plays an Egyptian, because his skin is too white)
Grummz on X - "Japan is trashing Ubisoft in the replies. 9M views and counting. As some say in Japan: If @Ubisoft really wanted to make AC Shadows fiction, why didn't they just use a fictional character and make him Japanese?"
Grummz on X - "Following Ubisoft's "apology," lying @IGN suddenly says there is no proof Yasuke was a Samurai, after saying he was and that anyone saying otherwise was part of a hate group. IGN is now part of a hate group according to their own articles."
IGN Brazil is really mad at their readers: "Gamer, you don't care about historical accuracy in Assassin's Creed, you just don't want black people and women as your main characters." : r/KotakuInAction - "Some bits: "While the blonde samurai from Nioh barely stirred up social media when he was introduced as the protagonist of Koei Tecmo's soulslike, the black protagonist of Assassin's Creed Shadows seems to have instantly created thousands of doctors and experts in the History of Japan." "The average gamer's outrage is due to the simple fact that AC Shadows has a black man and a woman presented in a non-hypersexualized way as protagonists. If it had been a white or Japanese man as the main character, Ubisoft would be free from any type of demand for "historical accuracy" from the public, and the discussion about the use of the term samurai would not even exist." "You just have enormous difficulty accepting, slowly, that games have tried to introduce more to their characters. A black character can even be a protagonist, as long as he is placed in the role of a criminal, as occurs in GTA San Andreas or GTA V. A woman can also be a protagonist, but preferably if she is sensual or sexualized enough for the average gamer's taste. . As Assassin's Creed Shadows does not put Yasuke and Naoe in these conditions, the review bombing began before the game was even released. Regrettable, but not surprising." (Translated from Google Translator)"
Ubisoft's Stock Plummets 12% Despite Exceeding Sales Targets
Japanese Historian Claiming Yasuke Was A Samurai Exposed As Communist - "Japanese historian Yu Hirayama who claims that Yasuke was a Samurai has been revealed to be a former member of the Japanese Communist Party. Hirayama made his claim on X where he wrote, “It seems like there’s a lot of talk about Yasuke, a black man who served Oda Nobunaga. There are very few historical documents about him, but there’s no doubt that he was a ‘samurai’ who served Nobunaga. Regardless of one’s social status, if one’s master promoted one to the rank of ‘samurai,’ one could become one in medieval (warring states) society.” He then shared his explanation, “I can say this because the historical documents state that ① Nobunaga gave him a “stipend,” ② he was given a house, and ③ he was given a sword.” From there, he elaborated, “Being given a ‘stipend’ and serving Nobunaga closely fulfills the important requirements of a ‘contract between master and servant’ and ‘agreement to receive a stipend.’ It is also important that he was allowed to carry a sword, so he was a two-sworded servant and not a servant (servants were not allowed to carry swords). And if he was given a house, there’s no room for doubt.” Hirayama continued, “He was probably a slave until Nobunaga took over the missionary slave, but due to the above ① to ③ , he probably became a ‘samurai’ of his own volition.” He concluded his assertion by attempting to counter arguments that he could not be a samurai given his life was spared and he was returned to the Church by a retainer of Akechi Mitsuhide. Hirayama wrote, “During the Honnoji Incident, Akechi’s side did not kill Yasuke because he was an ‘animal’ or ‘not Japanese’, but that was only because Akechi did not recognize Yasuke as a ‘samurai’ (probably because he had discriminatory feelings). At that time, it was common for a master to promote someone of low status to a ‘samurai’. To begin with, there is a good example in Hideyoshi.”... As noted by historian Anna Zofia Cichocka a board member of the board of the Paweł Włodkowic Institute, communists use history to impose their ideology. She explains, “As soon as the Bolsheviks came to power in Russia in 1917, history, as a science of the past, was destroyed. It became a political tool totally controlled by the communist authorities and an instrument of communist propaganda. History was completely subordinated to Marxist-Leninist ideology, and it was the Communist Party that always decided which interpretation of that ideology was correct. This made it possible to constantly manipulate and rewrite history according to the ever-changing needs and political sensitivities of the Soviet regime at a given point in time. The result was lies and manipulation on a mass scale.” On top of Hirayama being a communist, X user purplewhale24 shared that he’s a member of Pony Canyon and specifically its Area Alliance Department, which according to the company “embraces the mission of ‘Revitalizing regions, energizing Japan through the power of entertainment.’ Our primary focus lies in regional revitalization and branding, utilizing our proficiency in planning, producing, and promoting entertainment content. Through innovative approaches, we showcase the distinctive charm of local areas while fostering sustainable community development.” Purplewhale24 notes, “The new historian saying Yasuke is a samurai is Yu Hirayama. His is partnered with Pony Canyon, a music and entertainment company, to promote Japanese culture through ENTERTAINMENT and is also a PR media site trying to globalize to the west.”... “Pony Canyon’s US distribution is handled by Right Stuff Media, which is a subsidiary of CrunchyRoll, which is owned by Sony Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment. Now we know why Yu Hirayama is pushing the narrative that Yasuke was a samurai. It’s Sony in disguise.”"
Japanese Gamers Launch Petition To Cancel Ubisoft's Upcoming 'Assassin's Creed Shadows' Game: "This Is A Serious Insult To Japanese Culture And History" - "One wrote, “We ‘fabricated’ a blank space in history.” “The old lady in the thumbnail used the word “historical” a lot in an interview with IGN last month and claimed that it was based on historical facts, so it’s unreasonable to call it fantasy now,” wrote another... Still another wrote, “I wonder what people would think if we made a game set in medieval Europe where an Asian man wearing full plate armor wanders around town and kills French people in the name of social reform.”"
Japanese YouTuber Explains Why The Japanese Are Calling Ubisoft To "Immediately Discontinue" The Creation Of 'Assassin's Creed Shadows' - "he notes that Ubisoft is promoting the game as historical and points to an interview that Game Director Charles Benoit conducted with Xbox Wire. Benoit was asked, “This is a familiar setting for gamers – how does this game differentiate its take on the setting?” He responded, “We’re at the end of Sengoku era, in a turning point of Japan history. Assassin’s Creed is well known for its depiction of the history and accurate recreation of the world and it’s what players can expect with Assassin’s Creed Shadows. We’re showing real historical figures, such as Oda Nobunaga and a lot of events that happened during that time, so you’re not only playing in feudal Japan, but learning about this fantastic time period.” “Also, we’re giving the opportunity to the players to live not just one, but the two best fantasies of Japan: the Samurai and Shinobi,” he concluded. After pointing this out, he listed off a number of reasons why he and other Japanese gamers are opposing the game, “We are protesting marketing DEIs, historical distortion stemming from their disregard for Asians and their arrogance, and discriminatory responses to protest from Japan.” From there, he focuses his video on what he describes as “the biggest attempt to distort history Japan, that is the legendary Samurai, they claim, Yasuke.” He then brings up a number of historical documents and begins with a samurai’s diary that mentions Yasuke. He uses an AI translation that states, “He was taken under the care of Nobunaga and given the name Yasuke. He was granted a residence and given personal items. From time to time, he was also entrusted with Nobunaga’s tools and belongings carrying them for him.” Next, Shohei Kondo brings up a second historical document called Chronicles of Lord Nobunaga. An AI translates, “Lord Nobunaga provided support to a black man who was presented to him by missionaries. His skin was as black as ink and he was about 1.82 meters tall. His name was Yasuke.” He notes that this document also indicates that Yasuke was given something, but it’s unclear what exactly it is as it can be translated a number of different ways including a place to live, a short sword, or rice. From there, he brings up a third document titled Jesuit Annual Reports of Japan. An AI translates, “On the Monday following Easter, Nobunaga was in the capital. A commotion arose as many people wanted to see the ‘black slave,’ leading to injuries and near fatalities from thrown stones, Observers speculated that showcasing the ‘black slave’ for a fee could easily raise significant funds. Nobunaga invited him to his presence, causing quite a stir and confirmed his skin color was natural. Nobunaga’s sons were also please, and Nobunaga’s nephew, the commander in Osaka, rewarded him with 10 kanmon.” It continues, “The priest accompanied a black slave, and since no one in the capital had ever seen a black slave before, countless people came to see him. Nobunaga himself was amazed, confirming that his skin color was natural and not painted, and stared at him. The man understood some Japanese, so Nobunaga talked with him endlessly. Impressed by his strength and some art skills, Nobunaga was very pleased, decided to protect him, and assigned guards to escort him around the city. Some rumored that Nobunaga would make him a lord.” “The black slave given to Nobunaga by the visitor went to the residence of Nobunaga’s heir after Nobunaga’s death and fought for quite a long time,” the document details. “An Akechi retainer approached him and told him to surrender his sword without fear, so he handed it over. When the retainer asked Mitsuhide how to handle Yasuke, Mitsuhide replied, ‘The black slave is like an animal and knows nothing, and since he is not Japanese, do not kill him.’ Instead, he ordered, ‘Place him in the church of the Indian padre.'” After the AI finishes Shohei Kondo states, “There is no document saying Yasuke was a samurai. There’s no document.” He then shared a translation of another Japanese YouTuber explaining that the idea that Yasuke was a samurai came from Wikipedia edits. The YouTuber specifically points to a Wikipedia edit done on Yasuke’s page on June 14, 2013 to claim that he was made a bushido warrior and kept close by Nobunaga. This change, the YouTuber alleges, convinced many that Yasuke was a Samurai. The video then goes on to note that Thomas Lockley, an Associate Professor at Nihon University College of Law in Tokyo, published a book titled Nobunaga and Yasuke in 2017. He then published a book titled Yasuke: The True Story of the Legendary African Samurai in 2019, which is actually a novel and thus is fiction. Given there is only about two or three pages of historical documentation of Yasuke, the Japanese YouTuber notes that Lockley had to have exaggerated in order to fill the pages of the 400-page book. He also notes this book helped convince non-Japanese readers that Yasuke was a Samurai. Shohei Kondo then pointed to another interview Ubisoft executives gave to Famitsu. At one point in the interview Assassin’s Creed Shadows Creative Director Jonathon Dumont said, “‘We were first looking for ‘our samurai,’ someone who could be our non-Japanese eyes though, this is because through from the beginning the story of the Portuguese arrival would be a very good way to tell the crisis in Japan.” Kondo reacted, “He thinks Japanese Samurai is not Samurai. It’s not. You’re Samurai. As I mentioned in previous video, when we protest about it and then their response is basically, ‘Shut up, you are racist.’ This is really the great example of how the marketing DEI is actually destroying minority culture, destroying. This should be stopped. Really, this should be stopped.” From there he encouraged other Japanese YouTubers to make videos calling out Ubisoft and noted, “Otherwise our history [is] going to be destroyed by this fake agenda.”"
2 Assassin's Creed Shadows developers reveal why they chose Yasuke in 2 languages. : r/KotakuInAction - "Assassin's Creed has never had a historical character as its protagonist. Why was it decided to break tradition with Yasuke?
The decision to include him was made around the time we determined that we would set the game in the Azuchi-Momoyama period and specifically during the rise of Oda Nobunaga. In doing research, we realized that Yasuke was present in every major event that actually happened, and it was a surprise to us. 'Who is this guy?" we asked ourselves, and when we learned more we said 'Okay, that's interesting, let's put him in the game.'... we looked for the biggest samurai possible, and lo and behold, Yasuke popped up again. He was in front of us all the time, so we decided to include him as a second character...
Italian: Picked Yasuke because they realized he "was present in every major event that actually happened", and that they "looked for the biggest samurai possible".
Japanese: Picked Yasuke because he was connected to Oda Nobunaga and "interesting". "
Ubisoft Apologizes to Japanese Historical Re-Enactment Group for Using Its Flag in Assassin's Creed Shadows Art Without Permission - "Ubisoft Japan issued an apology on X/Twitter and admitted it used the flag in two pieces of art without permission. It also claimed to have apologized to the flag's owner Sekigahara Teppo-tai, a historical re-enactment group made up of volunteers who perform to the public at festivals and other events."
Japanese Historian Yūichi Goza Speculates That Yasuke Was Simply Oda Nobunaga's Bodyguard And Entertainer Rather Than A Samurai As He's Depicted In 'Assassin's Creed Shadows' - "In an interview with Japanese website The Sankei Shimbun with translation via DeepL, Goza, who is a faculty member of the International Research Center for Japanese Studies focusing on Japanese medieval history and the author of “What is a Samurai?”, was asked, “What kind of person was Yasuke, and was he a samurai or not?”... When asked about the magnificent armor that Ubisoft depicts Yasuke wearing in Assassin’s Creed Shadows and what position he actually held under Nobunaga, Goza responded, “The Japanese people around Nobunaga were very surprised by Yasuke’s dark skin and seemed to be interested in it. In a sense, it was a show, and having a black man like Yasuke so close to him would attract attention and, in a sense, show off Nobunaga’s ‘power’.” “In a sense, Nobunaga could show off his ‘power.’ Therefore, I believe that the most important purpose was to show off to everyone,” he relayed. “In the Jesuit historical records, it is written that Yasuke was powerful and could do a few tricks. I believe that he was in fact Nobunaga’s bodyguard and entertainer.” He then declared, “He was not the ‘Samurai Warrior’ that Westerners imagine him to be, slaying one enemy after another. Even if he did fight, he did not command his men, but worked as a single combatant.”... Goza said, “I understand that many people think that if you want to respect the samurai culture, the main character should be a Japanese samurai. Especially since the story is based on a real person, it would be more natural to have a famous swordsman/samurai such as Miyamoto Musashi as the main character, rather than a black man named Yasuke, whose actual character is not known.” He continued, “If Yasuke, who may or may not have been a samurai, is made to be a ‘representative of the samurai,’ it would be like taking something away from the Japanese samurai culture. Therefore, I think it is natural that some Japanese and foreign people would react with discomfort and dissatisfaction when they hear the word ‘cultural theft’ being used in the film. Even if Yasuke were to appear in the game, it should have been in the form of a Japanese samurai (as the main character) and Yasuke as well.” Goza was then asked about various forms of media aside from video games including movies, TV shows, and novels adopting stories that are contrary to historical facts and what his thoughts are on this. He responded, “I think it’s a matter of degree. For example, there is a rare theory that Minamoto no Yoshitsune did not die in Hiraizumi, but went to the continent and became Genghis Khan. This theory was mainly popular before the war, but it was denied by historians at the time as ‘impossible.'” “If a game in which Yoshitsune became Genghis Khan and fought in the game were to be sent out to the world, I think it would still be problematic, even if it were labeled ‘This is a fiction,'” Goza explained. “Especially Mongolians would be angry because Genghis Khan is the greatest hero of Mongolia.” “Of course, I don’t think that all creative works based on history can be based on historical facts, but especially when they are put out to the world, I think there should be consideration for the fact that it could become a diplomatic issue if the game is put out in a way that hurts the pride of people in other countries,” he asserted. Goza then contrasted Assassin’s Creed Shadows to the recent remake of Shogun that aired on FX, “As a contrasting example, I would like to cite the American drama Shogun (2024), remade with Hiroyuki Sanada in the lead role. The main character is modeled on Tokugawa Ieyasu, although his name has been changed. The events leading up to the Battle of Sekigahara have been altered considerably, and the historical background, including buildings, is a bit suspect. But when I watched it, I felt the understanding and respect for Japanese history.” He continued, “An Englishman modeled after William Adams (Anjin Miura) washes ashore in Japan and teaches the protagonist how to move a ship and use a cannon, and so on. This alone would suggest that a white man with an advanced civilization is teaching things to a stupid colored person, but this is not the case. The Englishman is at first confused and repulsed, but gradually becomes impressed by the proud way of life of the Japanese samurai, and the process of understanding and respecting them is depicted. It is not a one-way relationship, but a story of mutual understanding. There is a respect for other cultures at the root. I think this is an important aspect of fiction based on history. If you depict the history and culture of a foreign country, I think if you had a proper understanding of those basic aspects and paid respect to them, problems like this would not have occurred.” It appears clear that Goza does not believe that Ubisoft and their game Assassin’s Creed Shadows has been respectful of Japanese history and culture. And it’s not hard to figure out why given Ubisoft was attempting to market the game as historical. In an interview with Xbox Wire, Game Director Charles Benoit detailed, “We’re at the end of Sengoku era, in a turning point of Japan history. Assassin’s Creed is well known for its depiction of the history and accurate recreation of the world and it’s what players can expect with Assassin’s Creed Shadows. We’re showing real historical figures, such as Oda Nobunaga and a lot of events that happened during that time, so you’re not only playing in feudal Japan, but learning about this fantastic time period.”... In an interview with Famitsu, the game’s Creative Director Jonathon Dumont also admitted why they chose Yasuke as one of their protagonists, “We were first looking for ‘our samurai,’ someone who could be our non-Japanese eyes though, this is because through from the beginning the story of the Portuguese arrival would be a very good way to tell the crisis in Japan. The team liked the character Yasuke, and we thought we could expect to use him to discover Japan.” He continued, “We thought that starting with a samurai already in Japanese society would make for a very interesting and intriguing character who has also concepts that we don’t necessarily know about. And it would aroused our interest in what happened to him. Starting as a character who is already rooted in history, we will be starting to find out something happens around him, which tickles our curiosity.”"
Backlash From Japanese Players Prompts National Politician To Investigate "Cultural Theft" Of 'Assassin's Creed Shadows' - "The politician in question, Satoshi Hamada, is a member of the House of Councillors, the Upper House of the Japanese National Diet... Hamada retweeted a post from a fellow Japanese X user summarizing the various issues local players have had with Assassin’s Creed Shadows‘ presentation, such as how some of its buildings feature Chinese instead of Japanese architecture or how a lowly servant can be seen sitting on the same level as Oda Nobunaga himself... Another user raised the topic of Nihon University College of Law in Tokyo Associate Professor Thomas Lockley‘s African Samurai: The True Story of Yasuke, a Legendary Black Warrior in Feudal Japan, itself the main source for Yasuke’s false interpretation as a samurai, and accused its conclusion as being “based on his own imagination”. Even those who generally approved of diversity and inclusion initiatives found themselves unhappy with Ubisoft, with one individual telling Hamada, “The recent drastic movements are good in nature, but they are excessive in their emphasis on Asian people and unnatural favoritism for black people.”"
Grummz on X - "Just got a report from someone at Japan Expo. @Ubisoft staff are asking that anyone using the seats at the Assassins Creed: Shadows booth to turn around to face their screen. People were using them as benches to watch the much more popular Nintendo booth across the way. Nobody cares about Ubisoft."
Meme - PlayStation @PlayStation: "Will you take on Yasuke's brute force or Naoe's stealthy strategy? See the samurai and shinobi in action with over 12 minutes of Assassin's Creed Shadows gameplay:"
Alberto Barbossa @AIBarbossa: "So a black man has "brute strength" while the Asian has "stealth and cunning""
Perma Banned | Facebook - "I am so sorry for ranting about Ubisoft and AC Shadows a few times now but...the more news coming out from this game the more crazy it becomes...and I just can't look away from it. So what's new? Well, Ubisoft was caught copying Zoro's katana from One Piece (the anime), and passing it off as Yasuke's katana. . .. ... How Ubisoft? How are you THIS incompetent? How are you capable of creating this big a trashfire from this Assassin's Creed Shadows game of yours? How the f....HOW did you caught STEALING Zoro's sword from ONE PIECE down to the SWORD STAND, and pass it off as Yasuke's sword? THis isn't even about opinions anymore, there is no argument on whether Ubisoft disrespected Japanese history/culture or not. This is quite possibly straight-up ART THEFT"
One Piece: Ubisoft Accused Of Stealing The Design Of Zoro's Sword - "The post points out how Yasuke's sword looks exactly like Zoro's Sandai Kitetsu"
LearningTheLaw on X - "Insane! Thomas Lockey, responsible for Japan's major deception about Yasuke, was caught editing Wikipedia since 2015. He has since quit social media and claimed he will never play AC Shadows. Portrayed as a hero by the media, he's now seen as Japan's biggest historical scammer!🤯"
Grummz on X - "Thomas Lockey turns out to be a fraud, editing Wikipedia under another name to support his fake book on Yasuke. Encyclopedia Britannica relied on him, Wikipedia relied on him. Everyone did to support the lie that Yasuke was a samurai in Assassin's Creed Shadows. The Japanese hunted down his story and discovered his wikipedia alt. He has left Social Media in shame."
LearningTheLaw on X - "This is crazy. The entire Yasuke fanfic story was fabricated by a white man named Thomas Lockley, using fake Wikipedia sources. He even deceived Japanese people. Everything you read about Yasuke is fake, imposed by white liberals. In 2024, they erased history on Wiki for a game🤯
Yasuke History was altered to sell books, movies, and impose a fake narrative. I always wondered why Yasuke became popular online after 2012. It was a psy-op operation that even reached overseas.
They've truly mastered the next generation of colonialism. We have to acknowledge that."
Meme - Grummz @Grummz: "Thomas Lockley, Yasuke historian, has deleted his Facebook page. The Japanese have been hammering the fact checks on Thomas Lockley, the historian widely cited by other papers, book and official sources for the "proof" that Yasuke was a samurai. They say he is a fraud and have been finding out he has been editing Wikipedia under an alias "tottoritom" to promote his books and papers."
Perma Banned | Facebook - "I'd like to talk about things other than AC Shadows, but the news coming from this thing is truly something. Thomas Lockley is said to have been removed from Nihon University staff list. His NHK television program has also been delisted. Things are really escalating for this now proven grifter. Oh btw, Lockley said he has "no involvement with AC Shadows developement" before he left the internet. Welp turns out he did, Ubisoft actually did a podcast with him and took advice from him directly."
D.Va's Thot Patrol | Facebook - "Bruh the whole story about Yasuke (the alleged black Samurai) was a complete fabrication created by a single person called Thomas Lockley who has now deleted all his social media and completely disappeared from the internet after Japanese officials and historians started to question him on the validity of his works since he's the main source for all claims about Yasuke being a Samurai. Turns out the whole purpose of this made up story was to sell his books and it was recently discovered he altered academic documents for Wikipedia articles with false information since 2015 and is now facing national backlash for his lies, Ubisoft was already facing extreme backlash from the Japanese since AC Shadows was announced, this is now pretty much the final nail in the coffin for this game. Why aren't more people talking about this? Not only this whole thing was a complete fraud but it's by far one of the funniest developments I've heard in a long time, this masterclass carny single handedly worked countless fools and even companies with his story and probably made millions off it all that time."
LearningTheLaw on X - "Thomas Lockley, author of Yasuke: Black Samurai, falsely claimed he never spoke to Ubisoft before deleting his accounts. It's now confirmed Ubi was influenced by him for AC Shadows and featured him in a Spotify episode. Lockley is now facing national backlash for his dishonesty."
Meme - "Assassin's Creed: Shadows Notes
Tom Tottori related. Last Update: July 15, 2024
Check this out first!! The birth and spread of the "African Samurai" Yasuke legend - A user's contribution to Wikipedia
July 6, 2012 Editing of Yasuke by the account tottoritom begins (Yasuke was not edited until September 11, 2015)
September 12, 2015 The reference was changed to a paper by Thomas Lockley published in 2016. *This was revised many times on this day. Main revisions Revision comparison 1 I Revision comparison 2 I Revision comparison 3
February 2016 Thomas Lockley has published a paper on Yasuke, who served Oda Nobunaga, entitled "The Story of Yasuke: Nobunaga's African Retainer" in the 91st volume of the Sakurabunronso (published in February 2016)
January 25, 2017 "Nobunaga and Yasuke: The Black Samurai Who Survived the Honnoji Temple" is now on sale
February 3, 2017 The reference was changed by tottoritom from the article published in "Sakurabunronso" to "Nobunaga and Yasuke: The Black Samurai Who Survived the Honnoji Temple
October 31, 2018 tottoritom added a link to Thomas Lockley's page
November 8, 2018 Thomas Lockley's page was deleted from Wikipedia as it was deemed unremarkable (tottoritom also participated in the discussion at the time
January 25, 2019 tottoritom introduces the release of the book "African Samurai: The True Story of Yasuke, a Legendary Black Warrior in Feudal Japan," which is essential to telling the Yasuke legend to this day ."
Chertok on X - "Just so I’m clear: Ubisoft decided to score some DEI points on making a game about a black samurai, but the historic research they’ve based their entire premise on turned out to be fraudulent? That’s: (1) hilarious; (2) a recurring theme with DEI."
Meme - tk8d32（多忙につきスローペース） @tk8d32: "These photos used in AC Shadows concept were taken in the 19th century, about 300 years after the era in the game. So, was there anybody who can really check the japanese history in AC Shadows before starting game development? There's too much time gap. #AssassinscreedShadows"
CD Projekt Red Senior Lead Weapon Artist Apologizes For Noting Criticism About 'Assassin's Creed Shadows' Is Valid - "CD Projekt Red Senior Lead Weapon Artist Michal Kalisz apologized for claiming that the criticisms Ubisoft and its development team are receiving for Assassin’s Creed Shadows are valid. Initially, Kalisz took to X and wrote, “The concerns and criticism around Assassin’s Creed Shadow[s] are valid and I personally think it might disrespects Japanese culture with the provided historical inaccuracy. People, especially Japanese people, have full right to oppose trends like this.” Kalisz apologized for these comments on May 19th. He wrote, “I’ve noticed criticism regarding my recent comment about AC Shadows. After reflecting on it and reading your responses/retweets, I realize I owe you an apology.” He continued, “First of all, I acknowledge that I am not qualified to share statements or discuss such topics. Your feedback has highlighted the importance of being more informed and respectful in my opinions. It has also shown me that we should be more open to new ideas and not restrict ourselves too much while creating new worlds. We all draw inspiration from a wide range of media, and that’s great. I appreciate your patience and understanding. I’ve learned something valuable and will strive to do better in the future.” Kalisz concluded, “I’m looking forward to the next AC; the setting intrigues me a lot.” Despite claiming he read criticism of his original post, it does not appear he’s allowing as much criticism on his apology post given he locked down his account. This action calls into question the sincerity of his apology given it happened so quickly and reads like a corporate PR statement. Mark Kern aka Grummz speculated that Kalisz was bullied into posting the apology. He wrote on X, “Senior Lead 3D weapons artist at CD Projekt Red get bullied into changing his stance on Assassin’s Creed. Grummz added, “The dev pressure out there to conform is immense, and if you don’t play ball, you will get pushed out. Nobody in AAA gaming is free to speak. I have so many friends and contact who tell me they will lose their jobs if they say anything.” In fact, Grummz previously reported that at Activision the company’s reviews and bonuses are determined by “how hard you DEI.” He posted on X back on May 16th, “Your bonus and review depend on how hard you DEI. DEI Officers are installed on every dev team to ensure THE MESSAGE.” This appears to be corroborated by Activision’s 2023-2024 Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Report. The report details that the company tracks representation and inclusion data on all of its employees. It states that it “started measuring every employee’s sense of belonging through an Inclusion Score, a quantitative measure of the extent to which employees feel welcomed, valued, and included within the organization.” Another slide from the report delves into how the company is tracking its employees via Inclusion. It states that the company “launched individual employee diversity, equity, and inclusion goal setting to foster accountability to building community, trust, belonging, and collaboration.” It also appears that individuals who have high Inclusion Scores or meet these inclusion goals they are rewarded through “a sponsorship program” that allows them to “connect with senior advocates, gain exposure to leadership projects, and ultimately increase diversity at the leadership level.” It’s likely there are certain metrics taking place at CD Projekt Red as well. CD Projekt Red CFO and board member Piotr Nielubowicz detailed how committed the company was to ESG. He stated, “Although this is perhaps not the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about video games and ESG, we believe that our primary means of influencing the world at large is by developing games which can enrich gamers’ perceptions. This is why we do not shy away from confronting socially important topics in the stories we tell.” He continued, “Our games depict social inequalities, the various paths people take through life, and the problems they face. We want to make sure that the characters populating the worlds we create represent a diverse set of mindsets, social groups, and backgrounds.” Nielubowicz also confirmed the company has “a range of internal training courses” employees participate in to be trained in ESG thinking."
