Ubisoft’s latest offering, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, has initiated both discussion and debate after tech mogul Elon Musk criticised the title. Discussion ensued after game developer Mark Kern criticised Ubisoft for sponsoring ‘problematic’ streamers, namely Hasan Piker's promotion stream. Musk joined in, referring to Shadows as ‘terrible’ and dubbing Piker a ‘fraud’ for promoting it. “Sell-out would be more accurate,” Musk further stated, alleging Piker promoted the title for money.
Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed social media team fired back with a witty riposte: “Is that what the guy playing your Path of Exile 2 account told you?” It’s a clear veiled allusion to Elon Musk’s previous confession about using account-enhancing services in online games. The riposte went viral in hours, garnering more than 19 million views. Social media blew up with memes and commentary, with many praising Ubisoft's reaction.
Even some gamers reported buying Shadows or intending to do so, claiming support for the franchise. After some setbacks, however, political and commercial, Assassin’s Creed Shadows has had a rewarding two days of gameplay with two million players onboard. Yasuke, a Black samurai inspired by a real historical character, has also led to conversation about the representation of history within games. The game put many topics on the table that were always going to come to the top with big marketing players like Ubisoft controlling the talking points. What drew attention was the way that Ubisoft itself handled the situation. While Musk's comments generated some controversy, the response from the French publisher shepherded the discussion into a narrative that essentially turned an online spat toward trending buzz for the franchise.