Ubisoft's highly anticipated "Assassin's Creed" series installment, "Assassin's Creed Shadows," set for release in March, has consistently ignited social media debates and controversies since its initial trailer reveal, historical accuracy discussions, and gameplay demonstrations.
Now, Ubisoft's latest announcement—a collaboration with popular beverage brand Madrinas to launch a "bubble tea" product—has once again brought the game into the spotlight, albeit for contentious reasons.
The "Assassin's Creed Shadows" x Madrinas collaboration features a "Sakura Pink" theme, including one can of Strawberry Matcha Latte powder, one can of Sakura Fruit Tea powder, and a co-branded shaker cup. Ubisoft's official promotional material even states, "Master the art of bubble tea," implying that consumers can use Madrinas' instant powders to create bubble tea.
The collaboration quickly drew criticism from some netizens, who questioned whether Ubisoft was confusing Japan with Taiwan, given that "Assassin's Creed Shadows" is set in feudal Japan, while bubble tea is widely known to originate from Taiwan. Many users posted Google search results on the official "Assassin's Creed Shadows" X (formerly Twitter) thread, mocking the perceived geographical oversight.
One user even quoted Grok, stating that "the bubble tea collaboration feels like a bandwagon jump, a lazy shortcut to 'Asian culture' that completely backfired, ignoring authenticity. It's understandable why some fans, especially Japanese fans, are upset. Ubisoft's approach seems to be 'just Google 'Asian culture' and call it a day.'"
However, another group of netizens defended the partnership, arguing that "Ubisoft never claimed bubble tea was Japanese. It's just a simple collaboration. Does every product associated with a game set in Japan have to be Japanese? What kind of logic is that?"
It's worth noting that Madrinas has previously partnered with several other games, including "Cyberpunk 2077" and "Dark and Darker" for canned instant coffee bundles, and also collaborated with another Ubisoft title, "Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six." Therefore, it remains unclear whether this latest partnership was specifically tailored to the Japanese setting of "Assassin's Creed Shadows" or if it's purely a general marketing collaboration.