Ubisoft has released the first patch for Assassin’s Creed Shadows in record time, prohibiting the destruction of shrines.
There is a high probability that the patch is related to with a scandal in Japan that broke out long before the release of Shadows. In Japan, they were against the fact that players would destroy religious objects in the game. Although Ubisoft has not publicly commented on the situation, it has already «rolled out a» patch on the first day of release.
According to the update notes, tables and shelves in temples and shrines can no longer be destroyed. But other objects, such as drums or bowls, remain fragile. Tables can still be moved, although they can no longer be smashed. Along with changes to temples, the first day’s patch contains a number of technical fixes:
- Fixed a bug that caused players to get stuck in moving objects.
- Improved horse navigation, reduced problems with turns.
- Fixed lighting issues in caves and architectural structures.
- Unarmed citizens no longer bleed to death when attacked, which reduces random scenes of violence in shrines.
Japan is outraged by the scenes in the trailers and gameplay videos showing the destruction of the Itatekyōzu temple in Hyogo Prefecture. This drew criticism, including from politicians. Even Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba criticized Ubisoft and instructed the government to discuss it with ministries.
«Defacing a shrine is out of the question – it is an insult to the nation itself. 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», — Ishiba said.
Although Ubisoft did not officially admit that the patch was a response to criticism from Japan, it is obvious. The description of the update states that the fix is valid for all versions of the game. The situation looks as if the company tried to smooth out the conflict before it gained momentum.
Now it is interesting to see how Japanese players will perceive Assassin’s Creed Shadows after the scandals, but despite there were no problems with pre-orders there. The game became a sales leader after Monster Hunter Wilds and Split Fiction.
Besides, Ubisoft needs success now — after the failed sales of Star Wars Outlaws, dismissals in the company and canceling several games, Shadows may have a chance to become a project that will save the publisher’s reputation. For example, the press has mostly praised Shadows, а ITC.ua reviewer praised the game.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows was released on March 20 and received support from Steam Deck at the start. It is expected that the game will last about 80 hours. At the time of writing, Shadows has received in Steam «very positive» reviews, so perhaps the scandals did not become a verdict for the game before release.
Source: IGN
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