How Assassin’s Creed Shadows Makes the Most of Its “Boring” Setting

In 2012, Assassin’s Creed 3 director Alex Hutchinson called out people on the internet for suggesting the most “boring” future settings for the series. “The three most wanted [settings for Assassin’s Creed] are WWII, feudal Japan and Egypt,” he explained at the time, adding “They’re kind of the three worst settings for an AC game.” Hutchinson later clarified his statement, saying “the point I was trying to make was that in the broad strokes and scale of history, that’s a theme that’s been well-mined in video games.” He’s not wrong and since he made his most recent comments, Ghost of Tsushima, Rise of the Ronin, Neo and more have all shone a spotlight on feudal Japan.

Fast-forward to 2025 and Assassin’s Creed is finally going to one of these “worst” settings with Assassin’s Creed: Shadows, but Shadows director Jonathan Dumont believes his team has found a new way to tell the story of feudal Japan.

“I think it’s not boring at all. The setting is very exciting,” Dumont says when asked about Hutchinson’s quote. “I do think that being able to bring it to life and have that balance of the political intrigue [of the era], the war and conflict, and also the beauty of nature and supporting more exploration within this changing world give it another dimension [compared to other games].”

Hutchinson wasn’t wrong back in 2012. The setting of Feudal Japan has indeed been one of the most requested locations for the Assassin’s Creed series. Bringing the series’ unique blend of historical fiction and sci-fi to the backdrop of warring states and samurai in fierce conflict seemed like a no-brainer for developer Ubisoft to make happen sooner rather than later. The only problem was Ubisoft chose later, perhaps to its detriment.

Though Ubisoft has been praised for exploring previously overlooked historical settings like Egypt and Industrial Revolution England, other developers have beaten Ubisoft to open-world stealth-action games set in Japan with titles like Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Tsushima. That said, shows like FX’s Shogun prove that people’s appetites for samurai action hasn’t waned in the least. Much like Shogun, Assassin’s Creed: Shadows explores how outsiders navigate the courts and politics of feudal Japan. And the Assassin’s Creed name has a built-in reputation all on its own.

Dumont highlights the conflict and historical impact of the era – particularly in how Japan was “opened up” to the rest of the world for the first time following the arrival of Portuguese merchants and missionaries during the late 1500s Sengoku era.

“What made the setting interesting for us to tackle was the political landscape of the time, along with the arts and the environment of that era. We’ve seen other games do it before, but not in the Assassin’s Creed way that we’re doing it,” says Dumont. “We also have that big open-world feeling with the big cities, the wilderness, and we really touch upon the historical arts and the reconstruction of these locations to make it real for that time. So I don’t think we’ve seen that necessarily in a lot of games [covering this era] – to truly explore and bring you into that world.”

According to Dumont, the political intrigue of the era made it a particularly compelling setting to tackle for Assassin’s Creed. A key difference he highlights that makes Shadows different from other games is how it brings a more dynamic and deeper dive into a politically troubled era filled with conflict – one that players will be able to immerse themselves in and learn more about almost from the moment the game begins.

There is also the matter of new technology that Ubisoft utilized in order to bring its version of Japan to life.

“The team was very enthusiastic about Assassin’s Creed’s take on Feudal Japan, and we felt that the latest technological improvements and new consoles would help us bring that vision to life,” says Dumont. He highlights the dynamic weather and seamless open-world, and according to our review, the team seemingly succeeded in creating one of the best historical locations in Assassin’s Creed history.

Remember, the Assassin’s Creed series began during the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 era, and since then technology has come a long way, with 4K resolution, bigger open worlds with greater density, and ray-tracing now standard on consoles and PC.

“What that does is give a much more ‘alive’ feeling than what we’ve done in the past [with other games],” he continues. “So I think that technology that took a few years to develop is omnipresent and all around you within the game. It does bring another dimension of being able to see the world in different states – which gives it more depth. It would not have been possible to make Shadows without our current technology; I don’t think we would have gotten that feeling of losing ourselves in this open world without it.”

What makes the Assassin’s Creed series so compelling is how it takes historical settings and injects its patented stealth-action gameplay and open-world immersion to make them all the more engrossing. Assassin’s Creed Shadows leans into the samurai and ninja fantasy, much like other games tackling this setting. And the need to one-up the competition presented a big challenge to ensure the game’s scope was well realized – and given the lengthy wait for the series to tackle a Japan setting, Dumont felt the wait was worth it.

“It’s really all about keeping the vision there, and the team keeps pushing for better quality in every aspect,” he says. “There’s always a challenge with trying to meet people’s expectations, and we also put the pressure on ourselves to do the best we can.”

For more on Assassin’s Creed Shadows, check out IGN’s review of the game.