Ubisoft Traveled Japan While Researching Assassin's Creed

Ubisoft has shared new details about the research that went into Assassin's Creed Shadows, revealing that developers took guided trips around Japan as part of their creative process. The studio says these visits helped the team capture local textures, landscapes and cultural nuances that informed the game's worldbuilding and characters.

According to Ubisoft, the trips combined expert-guided tours with broader field research. Developers spoke with historians, visited historical sites and observed everyday life in cities and rural areas. Those insights reportedly influenced environment design, architecture, and the small cultural touches that make a historical setting feel lived-in.

Beyond on-the-ground exploration, Ubisoft says the team spent significant time reviewing primary sources and collaborating with cultural consultants to avoid stereotypes and ensure respectful representation. The studio framed these efforts as part of a wider commitment to credibility in the Assassin's Creed series, aiming to balance playable fantasy with plausible historical detail.

For players, these steps could translate into richer in-game environments, more believable NPC behavior and mission contexts that reflect researched social dynamics. Ubisoft has emphasized that such research is not merely cosmetic: it informs gameplay decisions, narrative beats and visual authenticity.

While field trips and expert consultations are not new in game development, Ubisoft's disclosure highlights how much effort modern studios invest in authenticity, especially for historically themed titles. Fans curious about how these research trips shaped specific parts of Assassin's Creed Shadows may find developer interviews and behind-the-scenes features useful as the studio releases more details ahead of launch.