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News video games 18 January 2019, 00:22

author: Bart Swiatek

Ubisoft apologizes for controversial DLC to Assassin's Creed Odyssey

Jonathan Dumont from Ubisoft, director of Assassin's Creed Odyssey, apologized players in a special statement for the controversial ending of the The Legacy of the First Blade: Shadow Heritage DLC.

Ubisoft apologizes for controversial DLC to Assassins Creed Odyssey - picture #1
Designers explain themselves for content in the DLC to Assassin’s Creed Odyssey.

IN A NUTSHELL:

  1. At the end of The Legacy of the First Blade: Shadow Heritage DLC to AC Odyssey there was a controversial idea that annoyed some players;
  2. Ubisoft apologizes for the DLC and promises that in subsequent episodes the problematic story is not going to be continued.

A few days ago the second episode of the Assassin's Creed Odyssey DLC series entitled The Legacy of the First Blade: Shadow Heritage had its premiere. Unfortunately, not all of the developers' ideas appealed to the players. Without going into detail (to avoid spoilers), the end of the DLC forces player-controlled Alexios or Kassandra to establish a relationship with an independent character, largely ignoring earlier choices. More information about this issue can be found in the Reddit forum thread.

In a special statement issued by the game's director, Jonathan Dumont, the French company admitted the mistake and apologized, at the same time explaining the motives behind the controversial decision.

We have read your responses online and taken them to heart. This has been a learning experience for us. Understanding how attached you feel to your Kassandra and your Alexios is humbling and knowing we let you down is not something we take lightly. We’ll work to do better and make sure the element of player choice in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey carries through our DLC content so you can stay true to the character you have embodied throughout.

The game director notes that the premiere of the add-on was accompanied by an interesting discussion, which probably should have taken place earlier inside the Ubisoft. The motivation behind the decision taken by the player's character could have been better explained, making the choice more understandable and perhaps less controversial. Jonathan Dumont also adds that developers will take account of players' comments when creating the next part of the DLC.

Assassin's Creed Odyssey debuted on October 5, 2018 on the PC (Steam and Uplay platforms), PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. In Japan there is also a release on Nintendo Switch, which requires streaming to play.

  1. Ubisoft – official webpage