Assassin's Creed Shadows boss explains why he ignored Elon Musk after backlash over African samurai Yasuke
How did Elon Musk contribute to the controversy surrounding Assassin's Creed Shadows?
Elon Musk contributed to the controversy surrounding Assassin's Creed Shadows by joining the discussion on social media platform X. He replied to a user suggesting Ubisoft should delay the release of Shadows "in response to widespread backlash over the game's injection of DEI [diversity, equity, and inclusion]," and stated, "DEI kills art." This exchange caught the attention of the Assassin's Creed team, including boss Marc-Alexis Côté. However, Côté chose not to engage with Musk's post and instead ignored it, focusing on the development of the game.
What was Marc-Alexis Côté's reaction to Elon Musk's comment about DEI affecting art?
Marc-Alexis Côté, the producer of Assassin's Creed Shadows, had an emotional reaction to Elon Musk's comment about DEI affecting art. He felt that Musk's tweet was feeding hatred. Côté chose not to respond to Musk's post, as he believed that engaging with him would not help in conveying Ubisoft's point of view as a team. Instead, he emphasized that Yasuke, the African samurai co-lead character in the game, is grounded in the history of the franchise and the choices made by the developers.
Why did Marc-Alexis Côté choose not to engage with Elon Musk's tweet directly?
Marc-Alexis Côté, the boss of Assassin's Creed, chose not to engage with Elon Musk's tweet directly because he felt that responding to Musk's post would not help Ubisoft's case. He believed that by attacking someone like Elon Musk, he would not be able to convince people about the team's point of view regarding the inclusion of Yasuke, an African samurai, in Assassin's Creed Shadows. Instead, Côté decided to take a step back, practice mindfulness, and focus on the game they were building. He expressed his hope that people would keep an open mind about the game and see it for what it is, stating that the answer to any concerns can be found within the first 11 minutes and 47 seconds of the game.