Amid the controversy surrounding Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Ubisoft has introduced protections to shield employees from harassment.
Update:
Ubisoft has released a statement to GameCentral in response to the report: ‘Our stance has always been that team members’ social media channels are their own. Our top priority is the safety of our employees, including online, which is why, as a standard practice across Ubisoft, we offer guidance on navigating social media, digital safety, and support for team members’ well-being.
‘We also share resources to help prevent and protect against online harassment, something our teams have unfortunately faced.’
Ubisoft has also clarified the ‘CSE’ refers to Ubisoft Quebec’s social and economic committee, and not the Communications Security Establishment Canada. We have updated the original story to reflect this.
Original story:
Assassin’s Creed Shadows has become a pivotal game for Ubisoft in terms of the company’s future, which is unfortunate as it’s also the most contentious in the series’ history.
The game has been mired in controversy ever since it was first revealed, largely because of its chosen protagonists: the real-life African samurai Yasuke and fictional female shinobi Naoe. The backlash even prompted a weird apology from Ubisoft, where they acknowledged how ‘promotional materials have caused concern within the Japanese community’.
After several delays, the game is finally set to launch on Thursday, March 20, and it seems like Ubisoft is anticipating developer Ubisoft Quebec will be subject to considerable abuse from online trolls.
According to French news outlet BFMTV, Ubisoft have put measures in place to protect the game’s developers, which includes safeguards around social media.
Speaking to the outlet, a Ubisoft employee said (translated via Google): ‘We’re advised not to post on social media that we work at Ubisoft to avoid harassment.’
According to the report, an anti-online harassment plan was also presented to the Ubisoft Quebec’s CSE (social and economic committee) to help protect Ubisoft Quebec employees around the game’s launch.
This allegedly includes a ‘team that monitors networks and acts quickly in the event of a targeted attack’, along with psychological and legal support.
Beyond the studio itself, there’s a lot riding on Assassin’s Creed Shadows for Ubisoft at large. After several 2024 titles fell below sales expectations, including Star Wars Outlaws and XDefiant, the company is said to be considering various options to keep the company afloat, including a possible buyout with Tencent.
According to Bloomberg, Ubisoft is also looking at bringing in investors to create a separate entity to house its video game IP, like Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry.
The company is said to be considering selling a minority stake in the venture and has already contacted potential bidders, including current shareholder Tencent. However, it’s said these considerations are ongoing and no final decision has yet been made.
It’s unclear if Assassin’s Creed Shadows could reverse the company’s fortunes at this stage, if it does particularly well, but the IP has traditionally been Ubisoft’s biggest seller. The highest-earning entry in the series is Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, which topped $1 billion in revenue by 2022.
Ubisoft has big plans for the future of Assassin’s Creed, with reports claiming it has over 10 games due in the next five years.
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