Yasuke Is GAY Now?! Ubisoft Goes Woke!

Ubisoft has confirmed that the main characters of Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Yasuke and Naoe, are LGBTQ+??! In a blog post on May 15th, Ubisoft revealed, “Naoe and Yasuke’s different personalities lead to varying relationships with other characters, and they don’t always have the same feelings towards people, nor do people always feel the same about them.”

The post further explained the romantic dynamics: “Romantically, they will attract and be attracted to different types of people. Players will experience a multitude of relationships through Yasuke and Naoe.”

This announcement comes as Ubisoft collaborates with Dartmouth Associate Professor Sachi Schmidt-Hori, an LGBTQ+ activist. Her biography on Dartmouth’s website states, “I explore how gender, sexuality, corporeality, and power are represented in pre-seventeenth-century Japanese narratives and illustrations. My book, Tales of Idolized Boys: Male-Male Love in Medieval Japanese Narratives, examines romantic relationships between Buddhist priests and adolescent boys in medieval tales.”

Schmidt-Hori’s current research focuses on "milk kinships" in pre-seventeenth-century Japanese tales. She teaches courses such as Introduction to Japanese Culture, Gender, Sexuality, and Power in Premodern Japan, and Thinking of Contemporary Issues in Japan through Graphic Novels (Manga).

Additionally, an internal Ubisoft document shared by Jeremy Hambly, aka TheQuartering, in April stated, “We are proud to represent diversity and inclusion in our everyday work. Representation is part of our DNA and will remain so despite external pressures.”

The document concluded, “Ubisoft firmly stands for diversity and inclusion in our workplace and our games, and we believe there is no room for hate in gaming.”

Assassin’s Creed Shadows is set during the late Sengoku period in the 16th century, featuring three of Japan’s most significant historical figures. Alongside potential LGBTQ+ storylines, Ubisoft is focused on refining game details to ensure accuracy and innovation.

While the exact nature of Yasuke and Naoe’s sexuality is still speculative, it’s clear the game will explore these themes, marking a positive step forward for representation.