Assassin’s Creed Shadows Day One Patch Makes Shrines Indestructible
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- Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ day one patch makes certain objects at shrines indestructible.
- The patch might be a response to one viral gameplay video from
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Assassin’s Creed Shadows that sees Yasuke destroying a shrine.
This isn’t the first time Assassin’s Creed Shadows was in the midst of controversy.
A day one patch for Assassin’s Creed Shadows made certain shrine objects indestructible as well as reduced NPC bloodshed in the area. This patch was implemented as soon as the game launched.
These changes might be a response to one viral video that circulated on social media where Yasuke, one of the main characters in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, is seen breaking things and attacking citizens at a Japanese shrine. This video sparked controversy and was apparently spotted by a Japanese politician named Hiroyuki Kada.
According to IGN, Kada brought the actions from the game to the attention of Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. Kada said:
“I fear that allowing players to attack and destroy real-world locations in the game without permission could encourage similar behavior in real life. Shrine officials and local residents are also worried about this. Of course, freedom of expression must be respected, but acts that demean local cultures should be avoided.”
Prime Minister Ishiba replied with:
“How to address this legally is something we need to discuss with the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“Defacing a shrine is out of the question – it is an insult to the nation itself. When the Self-Defense Forces were deployed to Samawah, Iraq, we ensured they studied Islamic customs beforehand. Respecting the culture and religion of a country is fundamental, and we must make it clear that we will not simply accept acts that disregard them.”
It’s important to note here that Prime Minister Ishiba is talking about real-life instances where this happens, not particularly in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Kada’s statement is similar to the age-old argument that says violent video games might influence players to become violent in real-life.
IGN reports that the shrine being destroyed in the game is a shrine within Kada’s constituency. The shrine is called Itatehyozu Shrine and is located in Himeji, Hyogo Prefecture. Kada added that after speaking with the shrine’s representatives, he learned that Ubisoft had not asked them for permission before including the shrine and using its name in the game.
This is not the first time Ubisoft is facing controversy regarding Assassin’s Creed Shadows. In July 2024, Ubisoft released a statement addressing its Japanese audiences about promotional materials that “have caused concern” within the community.
Gamers were mad that Ubisoft was making a historically inaccurate game. Ubisoft’s statement emphasized that Assassin’s Creed games were never meant to be factual representations of history and historical characters.
Assassin’s Creed Shadow was released on March 20, 2025 for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, macOS, and PC. According to the game’s official website, an iPad version of the game is coming in the future. The game received generally favorable reviews.
