The latest entry in the long-running Assassin’s Creed franchise, Shadows, found itself at the center of an online controversy when Elon Musk publicly criticized the game and its promotional strategy. What began as a typical social media dispute quickly escalated when the game’s official Twitter account fired back with a scating response that called out Musk’s own gaming practices.
The controversy began when game developer Mark Kern, known online as Grummz, criticized Ubisoft for “throwing money at terrorist-platforming streamers,” specifically targeting Hasan Piker‘s sponsored stream of the game. Musk, then chimed in, attacking both the game and Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, calling the game “terrible” and Piker a “fraud” for promoting it. Musk wrote, “Hasan is a fraud.” Musk then followed it up with another post that said, “Sell-out would be more accurate. Objectively, he is promoting a terrible game just for the money.”
The Assassin’s Creed social media team shot back: “Is that what the guy playing your Path of Exile 2 account told you?” The tweet referenced Musk’s controversial admission of using account boosting services to maintain competitive rankings in online games.
The response went viral instantly, garnering nearly 100,000 likes and over two million views within two hours. Memes, screenshots, and commentary flooded social media platforms, with many praising the Assassin’s Creed team for their witty and direct response to Musk’s criticism. Some even shared screenshots of them purchasing the game, while some say that they’re now going to buy it even though they weren’t interested in the game at first.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows has already demonstrated significant commercial success, attracting 2 million players in just two days after its launch. The game has sparked discussions about historical representation, featuring Yauske, a black Samurai protagonist based on a real historical figure.
