Ever wonder how much history really matters in a game like Assassin's Creed Shadows? Ubisoft’s cinematic director, David Nibbelin, recently told GamesRadar+ that the team isn’t aiming to craft a textbook version of feudal Japan. “This isn’t a documentary,” he explains, and that freedom lets Ubisoft tweak the past in ways that might surprise you.
Nibbelin’s take is refreshing: Assassin's Creed thrives because it doesn’t chain itself to a rigid, predictable tale of samurai and shoguns. Instead, it sidesteps the usual clichés and dry historical retelling. “We’re not here to give you a clinical snapshot of Japan or lean into overdone stereotypes,” he says. The goal? Drop you into a living, breathing slice of history—one that’s got a few modern twists up its sleeve. Ubisoft’s playing with the recipe, and that’s what keeps it interesting.
Take the dual protagonists, Naoe and Yasuke. They’re not just there to look cool—they’re your windows into two wildly different sides of this world. Nibbelin points out how every cutscene gets a unique spin depending on who you’re playing. NPCs don’t react the same way to a towering samurai as they do to a stealthy Iga villager. It’s in the little details—their dialogue, their glances—that the game builds its flavor.
This isn’t new for the series. Remember pummeling the Pope in Brotherhood? Or wrestling with gods in Valhalla and Odyssey? The best Assassin’s Creed titles have always danced with history, not bowed to it. Shadows is just the latest to embrace that vibe, blending fact with a dash of flair. So, when you’re slicing through feudal Japan, don’t sweat the history lessons—enjoy the ride Assassin's Creed Shadows delivers.
