Buckle up, stealth fans—Assassin’s Creed Shadows is taking a brutal hit in Japan, where the Yasuke saga keeps swinging like a katana in a boss fight! Launched on March 20, 2025, this feudal Japan epic was supposed to be Ubisoft’s big win, but Japanese players are unloading a review bomb barrage on Amazon Japan, tanking its rating faster than a noob failing a stealth mission. The beef? It’s all about Yasuke, the game’s Black samurai protagonist, with locals crying foul over historical inaccuracies and cultural disrespect. Despite hitting 2 million players globally and a “Very Positive” 80% on Steam, the game’s getting roasted in its own setting—think 64,000 Steam peak players worldwide, but a cold shoulder from Japan’s gaming samurai. Critics say Yasuke’s portrayal as a head-chopping, rap-battling warrior (yep, that trailer soundtrack didn’t help) plus shaky details—like Chinese architecture sneaking into promo art—make it feel like Ubisoft didn’t do its homework. Add in the sidelining of a Japanese male lead for Naoe and Yasuke, and it’s a recipe for rage that’s got Japan’s gamers sharpening their virtual pitchforks. Is this the end of Ubisoft’s ninja dreams, or just a loud minority glitch? Either way, Shadows is fighting for its honor in a culture clash showdown!

The launch of Assassin’s Creed Shadows is a do-or-die situation for Ubisoft as the studio teeters on the edge of closure. While the game’s launch has been better than analysts and critics expected, it still appears to have failed to satisfy many Japanese fans. 

Reviews by Japanese gamers suggest that Assasin’s Creed Shadows has been received poorly in the region.

Why it matters: Ubisoft hoped to appeal to Japanese gamers with its latest blockbuster, but the gaming giant’s efforts appear to have been in vain.

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Assassin’s Creed Shadows has performed poorly in Japan based on Amazon Japan reviews, gaining only 1.9 out of 5 score.

Some Assassin’s Creed Shadows Japanese user reviews have taken issues with Yasuke being a protagonist.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows Japanese players have also criticized many historical inaccuracies.

Many Assassin’s Creed Shadows criticisms by Japanese players are also because of gameplay reasons.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows on Amazon Japan currently has a surprisingly low user rating. Reviews on sites like Amazon Japan highlight that the Yasuke controversy and other historical inaccuracies bother the players more than ever.

Many of the comments by Japanese users have pointed out historical inaccuracies surrounding Yasuke and the overall story. However, some gamers have also criticized gameplay elements.

The title was already projected to perform poorly in Japan compared to other places, as many local players and developers criticized the RPG in the past. Unfortunately, the situation is grimmer than imagined, as Ubisoft’s presence in Japan will likely be tainted by these controversies.

To add more salt to the wound, Assassin’s Creed Shadows failed to beat Dragon Age: The Veilguard’s all-time peak on Steam during its launch weekend. The latter achieved over 89K concurrent players on Steam shortly after launch. AC Shadows also only has a 5.8 user score on Metacritic and 3.8 for the PC version.
This is concerning since EA considered Dragon Age: The Veilguard a major failure.