Ubisoft Canceled Assassin’s Creed Game About Fighting the Klan
▼ Summary
– Ubisoft canceled an Assassin’s Creed game set in the 1860s American South, focusing on the Reconstruction era and a freed slave protagonist.
– The cancellation was primarily due to concerns about the political climate in the United States and fears the game would be “too political.”
– The game would have featured the protagonist battling the Ku Klux Klan and exploring how racial tensions are manipulated to control society.
– Developers were reportedly excited about the unique setting and the opportunity to address meaningful themes before the project was halted.
– Instead of releasing this game, Ubisoft is shifting focus to a new title, Hexe, set in the 16th century Holy Roman Empire about witch trials.
The Assassin’s Creed franchise has always woven political themes into its historical tapestries, blending real-world events with the series’ core conflict between freedom and control. This inherent political edge comes with the territory when your protagonists are assassins targeting powerful figures shielded by oppressive systems. Yet despite this foundation, recent reports reveal that Ubisoft decided to cancel a game set during Reconstruction-era America, fearing its subject matter hit too close to home for modern audiences.
According to sources familiar with the project, the canceled title would have followed a freed slave returning to the post-Civil War South, where they confronted systemic racism and violent groups like the Ku Klux Klan. The narrative aimed to explore how racial divisions can be exploited to dominate society, with the Klan serving as a central, though not the only, antagonist. Set primarily in the 1860s, the game would have depicted the protagonist engaging in covert operations against forces of oppression, staying true to the series’ action-oriented roots.
Developers were reportedly enthusiastic about the project, appreciating both its unique historical setting and the opportunity to address meaningful themes. The concept had cleared initial approval stages at Ubisoft’s headquarters in France. However, by July 2024, executives pulled the plug, citing concerns over releasing such a politically charged game in the United States, a major market for the franchise. One developer involved summarized the reasoning by noting the game felt “too political in a country too unstable.”
This cancellation coincided with another controversy for Ubisoft: backlash over the inclusion of a Black samurai, Yasuke, in the Japan-set Assassin’s Creed: Shadows. Still, insiders emphasized that anxiety about the U.S. political climate was the primary driver behind shelving the Reconstruction game. Rather than revisiting North America, previously featured in Assassin’s Creed III and the Freedom Cry DLC, the franchise is shifting focus. The next major installment, codenamed Hexe, will explore witch trials in the 16th-century Holy Roman Empire, steering clear of contemporary American tensions entirely.
(Source: AV CLUB)
