Ubisoft has issued an apology for using a flag belonging to a Japanese military re-enactment group in their upcoming game Assassin’s Creed: Shadows. The company acknowledged the mistake on July 8 and apologized to Sekigahara Teppo-tai, a group that commemorates the Battle of Sekigahara.
The issue arose when players noticed the flag in the game’s concept art. Critics and fans pointed out that the flag was used without permission. Ubisoft responded by promising to remove the flag from the game. However, they mentioned that some instances, such as an art book in the game’s premium edition, cannot be changed.
Sekigahara Teppo-tai confirmed the apology on X/Twitter. The group appreciated Ubisoft’s swift response but highlighted the importance of cultural respect. This incident follows previous criticism from Japanese fans regarding the ethnicity of the main characters in Assassin’s Creed: Shadows.
Ubisoft has faced similar accusations in the past about using art found online without proper rights. They pledged to review their processes to prevent future issues
