Japanese Gamers EXPOSE Thomas Lockley's Lies about Yasuke in Assassins Creed Shadows!

A scandal has erupted around Thomas Lockley, a historian infamous for promoting Yasuke as a samurai, which has rocked Ubisoft's Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Lockley, known for his controversial 400-page biography on Yasuke, deleted his social media after accusations surfaced of editing Wikipedia under the alias 'tottoritom' to bolster his own works. Critics assert that Lockley's biography is speculative fiction, citing its reliance on unverified sources and omission of critical historical context.

This controversy comes amidst a broader crisis at Ubisoft, highlighted by the Assassin’s Creed Shadows booth at Japan Expo struggling with sparse attendance. Photos shared by user rc_166 on July 12th depict a quiet booth where chairs were used more for resting than engaging with the game, underscoring a lack of enthusiasm even among French attendees. Former World of Warcraft Team Lead Mark Kern, aka Grummz, further criticized Ubisoft for recycling gameplay footage and offering erroneous rewards, including a replica katana mistaken for One Piece’s Sandai Kitetsu.

Compounding these issues, Japanese critics have accused Ubisoft of cultural appropriation for featuring items like the octagonal lantern from Todaiji Temple in Assassin’s Creed Shadows without permission. This backlash follows Ubisoft Japan’s recent apology for improperly using the Sekigahara Teppo Corps’ flag in promotional materials.

Ubisoft faces mounting scrutiny over its portrayal of feudal Japan in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, with widespread condemnation over historical inaccuracies and disrespect for Japanese culture. The fallout from Lockley's misleading biography has amplified calls to cancel the game, posing significant challenges for Ubisoft as it strives to restore credibility and regain trust within the gaming community.