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

Yasuke looking over the water to a shrine during sunset in Assassin's Creed Shadows.

Assassin's Creed Shadows has just launched, and it's even being discussed by Shigeru Ishiba, the Prime Minister of Japan.

Shadows is set in feudal Japan during the Sengoku period. It's drawn the ire of a loud but small group of gamers who take issue with two things: the inclusion of the first Black samurai, Yasuke, a real historical figure, as one of the two protagonists, and that an Assassin's Creed Shadows preview showed players can damage sacred shrines in-game.