The Assassin's Creed series has taken us far and wide in telling the story of the ongoing conflict between the Order of Assassins and the Knights Templar, and with such a geographical and historical scope Ubisoft also has a duty to accurately and respectfully depict the various cultures seen in the series.
Expectations are now high for Assassin's Creed Mirage, which is set in Baghdad during the 9th Century, as the game has gained attention for its inclusion of Athan, the Islamic call to prayer.
The feature was highlighted by Malek Teffaha, senior manager of project management of global diversity, inclusion, and accessibility at Ubisoft, on Twitter, after it was mentioned by creative director Stéphane Boudon in a development diary released on YouTube.
- Assassin's Creed Shadows' Japanese setting has been "very, very tricky" because Ubisoft wants to be "respectful" and "avoid telling a culture about their own culture"
- Assassin's Creed Shadows draws attention of Japan's Prime Minister, who says "defacing a shrine is out of the question" in real life, but politicians acknowledge "freedom of expression must be respected" in the game
Ok.One of my favorite parts of the new #AssassinsCreedMirage diary that dropped today is the confirmation that indeed you will be able to hear the Athan (أذان), the Muslim call to prayer, within the game world!A lot of care was put into this game. Less than two months left! pic.twitter.com/uUipE451TWAugust 18, 2023
Ubisoft is receiving praise from many for choosing to include Athan, as well as its accurate depiction. Notable developer Rami Ismail states this is possibly the first time the Athan has been portrayed fully and accurately in a Western entertainment franchise, which he says is "incredibly damning" on the industry as a whole.
This is very good https://t.co/carWolZ6SuAugust 18, 2023
I think this'll be one of the first times *any* Western entertainment blockbuster has portrayed the Athan fully and accurately, which remains incredibly damning as far as I'm concerned. https://t.co/vJdknXY6YBAugust 19, 2023
Ubisoft's attention to detail and research has made players even more excited to explore the game and hear the Athan for themselves once it releases on October 5.
Assassin's Creed Mirage is releasing a week earlier than originally planned, giving it a headstart amongst October's other big releases including Marvel's Spider-Man 2, Alan Wake 2, and Super Mario Bros. Wonder.
Amid Assassin's Creed Shadows' controversies, shrine popularized by Ghost of Tsushima bans all tourists after "unforgivable act of disrespect"
"We don't want to force one terabyte of data on the players": Assassin's Creed Shadows' tech director on the clever tricks Ubisoft uses to "go beyond" current-gen
