In July last year, Ubisoft canceled the development of a new project in the Assassin’s Creed series, which was supposed to take place during the American Civil War and the subsequent Reconstruction era of the 1860s–1870s.
According to sources, in the new game, players were to take on the role of a black man, a former slave from the southern United States, who moved west to start a new life. After being recruited by the Assassins, he returned to the South to fight for justice, including confronting the rise of the Ku Klux Klan. The plot promised to be one of the most modern in the history of the series, covering different eras.
Ubisoft employees involved in the development were inspired by the project but disappointed by its cancellation. In their opinion, the decision was dictated by the company’s fear of a possible public reaction. Three sources reported that in July 2023, Ubisoft management in Paris stopped development for two reasons: firstly, due to online criticism caused by the announcement of the black samurai Yasuke as the main character in the upcoming game Assassin’s Creed Shadows; and secondly, due to concerns that the political situation in the United States was becoming too tense.
Too politicized for a too unstable country.