Assassin's Creed Account Claps Back at Elon Musk Over 'Shadows' Criticism

The incident began when Mark "Grummz" Kern, known for criticizing games for perceived progressive messaging, targeted a sponsored stream of Assassin's Creed: Shadows by popular Twitch streamer Hasan Piker (HasanAbi). Kern accused Ubisoft of working with "terrorist platforming streamers."

Elon Musk, owner of X (formerly Twitter), amplified Kern's sentiment, labeling Piker a "fraud" and "sell-out" for promoting what he called a "terrible game just for the money." This intervention caught the attention of the official Assassin's Creed X account.

In a move that quickly went viral, the verified Assassin's Creed account responded directly to Musk, tweeting: "Is that what the guy playing your Path of Exile 2 account told you?" This sharp retort referenced recent controversies where Musk was accused, and later confirmed via leaked messages, of paying others to play games like Path of Exile 2 and Diablo IV on his behalf to achieve high rankings while implying the achievements were his own.

The game itself, Assassin's Creed: Shadows, set in feudal Japan, has been a target for criticism from anti-DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) commentators, primarily focused on the inclusion of Yasuke, a historical Black samurai, as one of the protagonists. Musk's comments aligned with this ongoing backlash.

Ubisoft's social media team didn't stop with Musk; they also directed a comment towards Kern, referencing his long-in-development game that hasn't been released, contrasting it with their own game which *is* out.

The AC account's response to Musk garnered immense attention, accumulating hundreds of thousands of likes and tens of millions of views, drawing praise from gamers tired of manufactured controversies and from within the industry itself. It's seen as a rare instance of a major brand directly confronting high-profile criticism and harassment, potentially setting a precedent.

Musk publicly called streamer Hasan Piker a "fraud" and AC: Shadows a "terrible game" after Piker streamed it as part of a promotion.

The game faced criticism, largely from "anti-woke" groups, for including Yasuke, a historical Black samurai, as a protagonist.

It refers to accusations and subsequent confirmation that Elon Musk paid others to play games like Path of Exile 2 and Diablo IV for him to achieve high ranks and stats, despite presenting the achievements as his own.

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