A statue made for Ubisoft’s release Assassin’s Creed Shadows will not see the light of day after the maker received criticism for his design. Statue maker PureArts apologized Tuesday for what it called an “insensitive design” and said it is reworking the collectible based on the game’s two protagonists, Yasuke and Naoe.
Pure art unveiled his Yasuke and Naoe statuepart of the collectibles maker’s Qlectors line, in September. The stylized image shows cartoonish versions of Shadows‘ samurai and shinobi, with the latter jumping out of a broken, one-legged torii gate. The statue’s broken torii gate was strongly criticized by some Japanese commentators, who said the design was too close to the statue’s architecture. Sannō Shrine in Nagasaki, which was half destroyed by the American atomic bomb attack on the city in 1945.
We recently released an insensitive design. We appreciate and have learned from the concerns brought to our attention and apologize for any harm this has caused. After reading and processing the feedback, we went straight back to the drawing board and are currently reworking the design of the Qlectors Assassin’s Creed Shadows Yasuke & Naoe. Stay informed!
Ubisoft has announced Assassin’s Creed Shadows in May, and the game quickly became a lightning rod for controversy over its portrayal of Japanese history and its playable protagonists: Yasuke, a black samurai, and Naoe, a Japanese shinobi. In July, Ubisoft developers addressed complaints about the game’s creative choices and marketing. In a statement to “our Japanese players,” Ubisoft said at the time: “We recognize that some elements in our promotional materials have caused concerns within the Japanese community. We sincerely apologize for this.”