Ubisoft Considers Dual Protagonists for Future Assassin’s Creed Titles

In an interview with GamesRadar+, the associate director of Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Simon Lemay-Comtois, mentioned that the series may bring back two playable protagonists. Despite the heated discussions surrounding the duo of Yasuke and Naoe, the studio hasn’t ruled out this approach for future franchise installments.

Following the announcement of Shadows, part of the audience criticized Ubisoft for including Yasuke—a Black samurai—in the storyline. While this historical figure indeed existed in 16th century Japan, many viewed his inclusion as an attempt to make the game overly «progressive.» The team was aware that this choice would spark debates; however, according to Lemay-Comtois, the creators saw significant artistic value in the pairing of Yasuke and Naoe.

The developer emphasized that controversies surrounding dual protagonists are not new; for example, in Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, players switched between the twin characters Jacob and Evie Fry. However, the situation in Shadows proved to be far more complex. Nevertheless, the developer believes that the two-protagonist approach remains viable if the narrative and setting genuinely necessitate such a choice.

Moreover, Lemay-Comtois pointed out that the series should further develop parkour, one of its essential features. The Shadows team is currently focusing on enhancing this aspect in post-launch updates and aims to bring acrobatics back to the forefront in all future Assassin’s Creed titles.