Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ development stayed true to its vision and Jonathan Dumont reveals how they did it.

If there’s one thing Assassin’s Creed fans love, it’s a good historical playground to parkour across while throwing enemies off rooftops. And Ubisoft has finally given us what we’ve been begging for, an Assassin’s Creed game set in Japan!

Enter Assassin’s Creed Shadows, where you can embrace both the disciplined might of a samurai and the shadowy finesse of a ninja. That’s right, folks! You don’t have to choose between clanking swords and disappearing into the night like a ghostly whisper, you get both!

Assassin’s Creed Shadows | Credits: Ubisoft

But how did this grand shinobi-samurai fantasy come to be? Well, GameRant caught up with Ubisoft’s Jonathan Dumont to get the lowdown on how Shadows evolved from its initial pitch to what it is today. Let’s dive into it.

How Assassin’s Creed Shadows went from research to reality

Assassin’s Creed Shadows | Credits: Ubisoft

Like any good game development story, Assassin’s Creed Shadows began with a deep dive into history. Ubisoft didn’t just watch a few samurai movies and call it a day, they spent months soaking in everything about feudal Japan. Think of it like method acting but for game devs, a lot of reading, endless documentaries, and possibly some awkward katanas lying around the office.

According to Dumont, the goal was clear, craft an experience that feels authentic. This meant getting the ninja fantasy just right, sneaky movement, quick assassinations, and, of course, some stylish rooftop sprints.

But while the initial focus was on Naoe, the ninja protagonist, something unexpected happened. The more the team explored Japan’s war-torn era, the more the samurai fantasy started demanding its own place in the story. In his interview with GameRant, Jonathan Dumont said,

We started developing the Naoe character. As we kept detailing her, the samurai fantasy kept emerging as well, so we decided to move into having two different POV and clear playstyles, and this is the moment Yasuke joined the adventure.

If you don’t know who Yasuke is, buckle up. He was a real historical figure, an African warrior who became a samurai under Oda Nobunaga. Yes, Ubisoft didn’t just make him up, and no, this isn’t some wild historical revisionism. Yasuke actually existed, and his journey from foreign warrior to full-fledged samurai is exactly the kind of story that Assassin’s Creed lives for.

Two protagonists, two playstyles, double the fun

Yasuke, one of the protagonists of Assassin’s Creed Shadows | Credits: Ubisoft

With Naoe and Yasuke taking center stage, the development team had to figure out how to make both playstyles unique but complementary. Think of it like choosing between sushi and ramen, both delicious, both serving different vibes.

Naoe embodies the classic ninja experience, stealth, gadgets, and that “silent but deadly” energy. If sneaking through the shadows and taking out enemies with pinpoint precision is your jam, she’s the one for you.

Meanwhile, Yasuke brings the weight and power of a fully armored samurai, turning battles into brutal, cinematic duels. If you prefer walking into a fight like, “Yeah, I want you to see me coming,” then Yasuke is your guy.

Game development is often a rollercoaster of shifting ideas, scrapped concepts, and last-minute overhauls. But according to Ubisoft’s Jonathan Dumont, Assassin’s Creed Shadows managed to stay remarkably close to its original vision. In his interview with GameRant, he said,

It was a challenge to make two overlapping stories throughout production, so we moved some pieces here and there, but we stuck to our core design once and decided to move forward with the 2-protagonist approach.

Balancing two interwoven stories was no small feat, but once the team committed to the approach, they refined rather than reinvented. The game went through its natural iteration cycle, fine-tuning mechanics, narrative beats, and gameplay dynamics.

So, while many games take wild turns during development, Assassin’s Creed Shadows proves that sometimes, the best approach is to trust the original plan, just with a little shuffling along the way. Get ready to jump, slash, and assassinate your way through feudal Japan, this time, with twice the action and twice the historical intrigue.