Ambitious Historical Project Shelved Over Controversy Fears
Ubisoft cancelled a groundbreaking Assassin’s Creed game set in post-Civil War America last year, according to an explosive report from Game File’s Stephen Totilo published October 7, 2025. The unreleased title would have taken players through the Reconstruction era of the 1860s and 1870s, following a formerly enslaved Black man who joins the Assassin Brotherhood and returns south to confront the emerging Ku Klux Klan. Company management in Paris killed the project in July 2024, citing two primary concerns – backlash over Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ Black samurai protagonist Yasuke, and fears about the increasingly tense political climate in the United States.
The report comes from interviews with five current and former Ubisoft employees who spoke under anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the project. All expressed enthusiasm for the cancelled game while frustration over what they perceived as Ubisoft bowing to potential controversy rather than telling an important historical story. One source summed up management’s reasoning bluntly – “Too political in a country too unstable, to make it short.” While game cancellations happen regularly in the industry, sources emphasized that political and social reasoning like this was highly unusual.
The Game’s Planned Story and Setting
The Reconstruction-era Assassin’s Creed would have represented one of the franchise’s most modern and politically charged settings. Players would control a Black protagonist who had been enslaved in the South before escaping and moving west to start a new life. The narrative would begin with his recruitment by the Assassin Brotherhood in the western territories, followed by his return to the South where he’d fight for justice during one of American history’s most turbulent periods.
The game’s central conflict would pit the protagonist against white supremacist groups, most notably the Ku Klux Klan, which was founded in 1865 and terrorized formerly enslaved people and their allies throughout Reconstruction. The storyline reportedly explored themes of freedom, citizenship rights for freed slaves, racial violence, and the reintegration of Confederate states into the Union. Developers working on the concept believed the project had potential to make a powerful social impact while staying true to Assassin’s Creed’s themes of fighting oppression and challenging corrupt power structures.
| Game Element | Details |
|---|---|
| Setting | American South, 1860s-1870s Reconstruction Era |
| Protagonist | Formerly enslaved Black man, Assassin Brotherhood member |
| Antagonists | Ku Klux Klan and white supremacist groups |
| Themes | Freedom, racial justice, citizenship rights, resistance |
| Development Studio | Ubisoft Quebec (reported) |
| Planned Release | 2027-2028 timeframe |
| Cancellation Date | July 2024 |
The Yasuke Backlash Connection
According to three sources who spoke to Game File, word filtered through Ubisoft in July 2024 that Paris management had stopped development partly due to the intense online backlash that spring against Assassin’s Creed Shadows. That game’s reveal showcased Yasuke, a historically accurate Black samurai who served under Japanese daimyo Oda Nobunaga in the 1500s, as one of two playable protagonists.
Despite Yasuke being a real historical figure documented in Japanese records, his inclusion sparked massive controversy. Critics accused Ubisoft of historical revisionism and forced diversity, leading to review bombing, harassment campaigns against developers, and calls for boycotts. The backlash grew so severe that Ubisoft delayed Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ release from November 2024 to February 2025, then again to March 2025, partly to let tensions cool.
With that firestorm still raging, management apparently decided a game featuring a Black protagonist confronting white supremacists in post-Civil War America would invite even more intense criticism. The timing couldn’t have been worse – the Reconstruction game was in early concept stages just as Shadows’ controversy reached peak toxicity. Rather than weather another storm, leadership chose to quietly shelve the project before it advanced further.
Political Climate Concerns
Beyond the Yasuke situation, sources cited worries about the broader political environment in the United States as a cancellation factor. The current Trump administration has rolled back various civil rights protections, attacked diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, and taken steps to restore honors and memorials to the Confederacy. In this climate, a game about a Black man fighting the KKK during Reconstruction would inevitably become a lightning rod for political controversy.
Ubisoft’s leadership apparently concluded the risk outweighed potential rewards. While developers believed the game could tell a meaningful story exploring a crucial but often overlooked period of American history, executives feared it would be perceived as too overtly political, especially with the 2024 US presidential election approaching at the time of cancellation. The decision reflects broader industry tensions around whether games should tackle challenging social and political themes or avoid controversy to maximize commercial appeal.
Development Status When Cancelled
The Reconstruction Assassin’s Creed never progressed beyond early concept stages. Sources indicated the project received initial approval from Ubisoft leadership and work had begun on story concepts, setting research, and preliminary design documents. Ubisoft Quebec, the studio behind Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and Syndicate, was reportedly leading development, with game director Scott Phillips attached to the project.
The planned release window sat somewhere in 2027 or 2028, meaning the game was years away from launch when cancelled. This early-stage cancellation is relatively common in game development – projects often get killed in pre-production before substantial resources are invested. However, what made this cancellation unusual wasn’t the timing but the reasoning. Developers typically get cancelled due to technical challenges, budget concerns, creative direction issues, or market conditions, not explicitly because subject matter is deemed too politically sensitive.
Developer Reactions and Missed Opportunities
The five employees who spoke to Game File expressed disappointment and frustration with the cancellation. Several felt Ubisoft missed an opportunity to tell an important story that could make positive social impact. The Assassin’s Creed franchise has always dealt with historical conflicts, oppression, and resistance against tyranny – themes that would fit naturally with a Reconstruction narrative.
One anonymous developer told Game File, “It’s a shame. We had a chance to tell a story that mattered.” Others viewed the cancellation as Ubisoft prioritizing safe, commercially viable narratives over meaningful storytelling. The fact that leadership initially greenlit the project, allowing developers to become invested in the concept, before pulling the plug once controversy seemed likely, particularly stung those who had worked on early development.
Historical Context – Reconstruction Era
The cancelled game would have explored one of the most consequential yet misunderstood periods in American history. The Reconstruction era (1865-1877) followed the Civil War as the federal government attempted to reintegrate Confederate states and establish rights for four million newly freed formerly enslaved people. This period saw the passage of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments establishing citizenship and voting rights, alongside the creation of the Freedmen’s Bureau to help formerly enslaved people transition to freedom.
However, Reconstruction also witnessed the rise of violent white supremacist groups like the KKK, which terrorized Black communities and white Republican allies through lynchings, arson, and massacres. The era ended with the Compromise of 1877, which withdrew federal troops from the South in exchange for ending a disputed presidential election. This abandonment of Reconstruction led to the Jim Crow era of segregation and racial oppression that persisted for nearly a century.
An Assassin’s Creed game set in this period could have educated players about this crucial history while providing exciting gameplay opportunities. The protagonist returning to the South to fight the KKK parallels real stories of Black veterans, freedmen, and activists who risked their lives resisting white supremacist violence during Reconstruction.
Assassin’s Creed’s History with Controversial Settings
The franchise has never shied from controversial historical periods before. Assassin’s Creed has depicted the Crusades, the Italian Renaissance, the American Revolution, the French Revolution, Victorian London, ancient Egypt, ancient Greece, and Viking invasions. Many of these settings involved complex political and religious conflicts, colonial violence, slavery, and oppression.
Assassin’s Creed III touched on slavery and Native American genocide during the American Revolution. Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag featured the Caribbean slave trade. Assassin’s Creed Unity depicted the Reign of Terror during the French Revolution. Origins showed slavery in ancient Egypt. These games addressed difficult historical realities without shying away from their implications, though they often included disclaimers about diverse development teams creating the content.
The cancellation of the Reconstruction game suggests Ubisoft now perceives modern American racial issues as uniquely risky compared to historical atrocities in other contexts. Whether this reflects genuine concern about the current political climate or commercial calculation to avoid controversy that might hurt sales remains an open question.
Ubisoft’s Silence and Industry Implications
Ubisoft did not respond to Game File’s request for comment about the cancelled project. The company rarely discusses cancelled games publicly, and this situation’s political sensitivity makes official acknowledgment even less likely. There’s no indication from any sources that the Reconstruction Assassin’s Creed will be revived, suggesting the cancellation is permanent.
This cancellation adds to growing questions about major publishers’ willingness to tackle challenging subject matter. As gaming matures as a medium and reaches broader audiences, some developers and creators want to explore complex themes, social issues, and difficult histories. However, the risk-averse nature of AAA game publishing, combined with organized online harassment campaigns against perceived “woke” content, creates pressure to avoid anything potentially controversial.
Community Response to the Report
Reaction to Totilo’s report has been sharply divided along predictable lines. Many gamers expressed disappointment that Ubisoft cancelled what could have been a powerful, educational experience exploring a crucial period of American history. They argue games have the potential to teach about historical injustices while entertaining, and that avoiding difficult subjects means missing opportunities for meaningful storytelling.
Others defended Ubisoft’s decision, arguing that games should entertain rather than lecture, and that a Reconstruction-era game featuring KKK antagonists would inevitably become a culture war battlefield regardless of quality. Some claimed historical accuracy concerns, though the Reconstruction period and KKK’s terrorism are extensively documented historical facts rather than disputed interpretations.
What’s Next for Assassin’s Creed
Despite this cancellation, the Assassin’s Creed franchise continues with multiple projects in development. Assassin’s Creed Shadows finally launches March 20, 2025, after multiple delays. Assassin’s Creed Hexe, set during 16th century witch trials, remains in development at Ubisoft Bordeaux for release in 2026 or beyond. Assassin’s Creed Invictus, a multiplayer project, continues at Ubisoft Quebec.
The franchise is also expanding beyond games. A live-action Netflix series starring Jared Harris as a present-day Assassin is in production. Various novels, comics, and other media continue exploring different historical periods within the Assassin’s Creed universe. Whether any future installment will tackle Reconstruction or other sensitive periods in American history remains to be seen.
FAQs
What Assassin’s Creed game did Ubisoft cancel?
Ubisoft cancelled an Assassin’s Creed game set during the post-Civil War Reconstruction era (1860s-1870s) in July 2024. The game would have featured a formerly enslaved Black protagonist confronting the Ku Klux Klan.
Why was the Reconstruction Assassin’s Creed cancelled?
According to five sources speaking to Game File’s Stephen Totilo, management cancelled the game due to backlash over Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ Black samurai Yasuke and concerns about the tense political climate in the United States.
Who reported this cancellation?
Stephen Totilo of Game File published the report on October 7, 2025, based on interviews with five current and former Ubisoft employees speaking anonymously.
How far along was the cancelled game?
The game was in early concept stages when cancelled, with work just beginning on story concepts and design documents. It was planned for release around 2027-2028.
Which studio was developing the Reconstruction game?
According to reports, Ubisoft Quebec (developer of AC Odyssey and Syndicate) was leading development, with game director Scott Phillips attached to the project.
Will the game ever be revived?
Sources told Game File there’s no indication the cancelled Reconstruction Assassin’s Creed will be revived. The cancellation appears permanent.
Has Ubisoft commented on this report?
No, Ubisoft did not respond to Game File’s request for comment. The company rarely discusses cancelled projects publicly.
What was the connection to Assassin’s Creed Shadows?
The cancellation occurred partly due to intense backlash against Shadows’ inclusion of Yasuke, a historical Black samurai. Management feared a game with a Black protagonist fighting the KKK would generate even more controversy.
Conclusion
The cancellation of Ubisoft’s Reconstruction-era Assassin’s Creed represents a frustrating what-if for the franchise and gaming broadly. A game exploring the post-Civil War period through the eyes of a formerly enslaved Black Assassin fighting white supremacist terror could have educated players about a crucial yet often whitewashed period of American history while delivering the action-adventure gameplay the series is known for. Instead, fear of controversy in an increasingly polarized political climate led management to kill the project before it could advance beyond concept stages. Whether this decision was pragmatic risk management or cowardice in the face of potential backlash depends largely on one’s perspective about gaming’s responsibility to tackle difficult subjects. What’s clear is that Ubisoft’s leadership deemed the risks too great, choosing safety over the chance to tell a story developers believed could matter. As the gaming industry matures and reaches broader audiences, tensions between creative ambition and commercial caution will only intensify, with this cancelled Reconstruction game serving as a cautionary tale about the limits publishers place on historical storytelling when modern politics threaten the bottom line.