Assassin's Creed Shadows is the first in the dual-protagonist vein of Ubisoft's series to actually show both its protagonists in its debut trailer.
Last week, Assassin's Creed Shadows was finally unveiled with a trailer that showed off its dual protagonists - famed Samurai Yasuke, and stealthy Shinobi Naoe. As reporter Stephen Totilo pointed out on Twitter, the debut Shadows trailer showing both its protagonists marks a huge shift for Ubisoft's series, which has typically only shown one protagonist in its reveal trailer for a game where two protagonists are featured.
Take, for example, the announcement trailer for Assassin's Creed Valhalla back in 2020, seen just below. In the cinematic trailer for the RPG, only the male version of Eivor is ever shown, when in the final game, players can take on the mantle of either the male or female versions of Eivor. It's worth noting the female counterpart for Eivor did get her own trailer eventually, just not right off the bat, which is the point Totilo is making.
A few years prior in 2018 came Assassin's Creed Odyssey, where the player would again select one protagonist at the beginning of the game. The reveal trailer below only shows male protagonist Alexios, skipping out female protagonist Kassandra entirely - just like Valhalla.
Again, the same can be said for Assassin's Creed Syndicate's reveal trailer, which came what feels like a lifetime ago in 2015. You can see the trailer just below, which entirely leaves out protagonist Evie in favor of her brother and co-protagonist Jacob. What's really wild about this trailer omitting Evie is that she's by far the superior protagonist, compared to her brother, who's pretty dull by comparison.
It's worth noting that Shadows will have the player taking on the roles of both Yasuke and Naoe throughout the game, just like Origins with Bayek and Aya, and Syndicate with Evie and Jacob. Nonetheless, it's a nice little shift that Ubisoft has put both its protagonists front and centre with the Assassin's Creed Shadows' debut trailer, instead of entirely side-lining one.
Who is Assassin's Creed Shadows' protagonist Yasuke? The history behind the first Black Samurai explained.
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Hirun Cryer
Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.
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