by theygamesMonday, March 17 at 12:20pm PDT Ubisoft has provided PCGamesN with a statement outlining its online well-being and anti-harassment efforts.
According to a new report, Ubisoft has created an “anti-harassment plan” to protect Assassin’s Creed Shadows‘ development team. This comes in the wake of consistent backlash against the game from apparent ‘anti-woke/anti-DEI’ content creators, their followers, and some of the series’ player base.
Since Assassin’s Creed Shadows‘ reveal, some have taken issue with its portrayal of the historical figure Yasuke, a samurai of African origin.
Separately, gaming collectibles creator PureArts came under fire for being “insensitive” towards Japanese culture, pulling a figurine that saw dual protagonists Naoe and Yasuke standing in front of a one-legged torii gate. This indirectly referenced the 1945 bombing of Nagasaki during World War II, as the only one-legged torii gate in Japan stands at the city’s Sannō Shrine.
Speaking to French media outlet BFMTV, an anonymous Ubisoft employee claims that an “anti-harassment plan” has been implemented that discourages developers from using social media. “We’re advised not to post on social media that we work at Ubisoft to avoid harassment,” they state. Note that we have relied on machine translation for these quotes.
The report claims that Ubisoft has collaborated with Canada’s Communications Security Establishment on the plan. “It’s an initiative from Canada. There’s a team that monitors networks and acts quickly in the event of a targeted attack. Unlike what we’ve had before, this is serious.”
Reportedly, “messages posted by internet users on X (formerly Twitter), Reddit, or even videos on YouTube will be closely monitored by a dedicated unit in order to respond quickly to the slightest problem. Lawyers are already ready to file complaints in the event of proven harassment.”
PCGamesN contacted Ubisoft for comment on this reported anti-harassment plan, and received the following response from a spokesperson.
“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.”
You can follow us on Google News for daily PC games news, reviews, and guides. We’ve also got a vibrant community Discord server, where you can chat about this story with members of the team and fellow readers.