Ubisoft CEO Confronted at Shareholder Meeting Over “Woke” Content and Game Preservation Concerns

Assassin’s Creed Shadows character Yasuke (Image Credit: Ubisoft)

At Ubisoft’s annual shareholder meeting on July 10 in Paris, things took an unexpectedly heated turn when a passionate gamer-turned-investor brought internet culture wars straight to the boardroom. Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot found himself answering some of the internet’s loudest complaints—from accusations of pushing “woke” agendas in Assassin’s Creed Shadows to growing frustration over the company shutting down older games.

The meeting kicked off in standard corporate fashion, with Guillemot and CFO Frederick Duguet going over business updates, financials, and the company’s future plans. But during the Q&A segment, a shareholder stood up and delivered a blunt line of questioning. Referencing the controversy surrounding Assassin’s Creed Shadows, the shareholder asked: “Woke or not woke?”—questioning the inclusion of Yasuke, a historical African samurai, and Ibuki, a nonbinary character that players can romance in the game.

Instead of engaging in political back-and-forth, Guillemot stayed focused on the game’s creative vision. He explained that Ubisoft wanted to showcase “characters with heroic journeys,” and emphasized that Yasuke was a real person whose story deserved to be told. “This is a hero quest,” Guillemot said, standing by the team’s storytelling choices (Thanks Game File and Kotaku).

The same shareholder didn’t stop there. They also brought up the Stop Killing Games movement—a petition that recently crossed over 1 million signatures in the EU, fueled by Ubisoft’s controversial removal of The Crew from digital storefronts and servers. In response, Guillemot acknowledged the concern and said, “Obviously, support for all games can’t last forever, but it’s something we’re working on.”

The Q&A also touched on several other hot-button topics. One frustrated shareholder asked about Ubisoft’s declining stock price, which has dropped over 40% in the past 10 years. Another brought up Star Wars Outlaws, calling it a sales disappointment. Guillemot partly blamed poor timing and the broader struggles of the Star Wars brand during the release window.

An interesting moment came when a current employee asked whether Ubisoft would consider investing more in AA-scale games—mid-budget projects that carry less financial risk. Guillemot said the company is exploring that idea and pointed to series like Anno and Rayman as examples of smaller projects that still find success.

And while Ubisoft didn’t make any big game announcements during the meeting, Guillemot did casually mention an “upcoming launch” for a new Ghost Recon title—something that hasn’t yet been officially revealed. He also confirmed that Assassin’s Creed Shadows had a budget exceeding €100 million, though many suspect the actual figure was much higher.