Ubisoft has recently announced that Assassin's Creed Shadows will be censored in Japan, even though the latest entry in the long-running action adventure series has already been given a Z rating by the country's own Computer Entertainment Rating Organization (CERO) rating system.
According to the eponymously named video game content rating system's official website, a CERO Z rating indicates the product is "for 18-year-olds and above only," noting that "Expression and content suitable only to 18-year-olds and above are included in the game," and further clarifying, "This assumes that the game should not be sold or distributed to those younger than 18 years old."
Per Ubisoft Japan's official post shared to X, as translated by DeepL, Assassin's Creed Shadows will feature "differences between the Japanese and International (North American and European) Versions," in order to "comply with the regulations of the reviewing organization," specifically noting that said difference relates to the player's ability to dismember their opponents in the game.
The setting that has been removed from Assassin's Creed Shadows in Japan, Ubisoft explains, allowed players to "turn amputation on or off," specifying that it is "amputation of the enemy's head and limbs" that has been disabled during gameplay, further noting that the way in which the mutilated parts are represented "has been changed."
Ubisoft Japan also notes, "Some Japanese audio played in the international (North American and European) versions of the game has been reworded."
The reception Assassin's Creed Shadows has had with players has been less than ideal for Ubisoft. The most recent trailer, seen below, has been viewed a total of 591,730 times, with 28,238 likes and 45,573 dislikes as of writing. Furthermore, the Official World Premiere trailer released 8 months ago, has been viewed over 10 million times, with 302,976 likes and a staggering 605,896 dislikes, which amounts to a 67% of viewers showing their dissatisfaction with the upcoming title.
Similarly, the very first trailer for Assassin's Creed Shadows was received very poorly by Japanese players, with 454,491 views since it was originally posted 8 months ago, a total of 5,417 likes and 56,806 dislikes, amounting to a 91% of viewers who were not impressed by Ubisoft's latest entry in the Assassin's Creed series.
Whether the game's censorship in Japan, in spite of its CERO Z rating, will negatively affect sales is yet to be seen. If the number of dislikes present in the trailers released both in Japan and here in the West are of any indication, Assassin's Creed Shadows may be on track to becoming a monumental commercial failure for Ubisoft.
Japan, 1579 — The country is on a brutal path toward unification driven by the iron will of daimyo Oda Nobunaga. Unrest grows as new coalitions appear and corruptive foreigners infiltrate the land. After the brutal invasion of the peaceful province of Iga, a young shinobi embarks on a journey to fulfill an impossible promise while a legendary samurai finds new purpose confronting the demons of his past. A new Creed rises over Japan as justice is forged in the shadows.
Assassin's Creed Shadows releases on March 20th for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and Mac App Store.