Ubisoft CEO Faces Shareholder Questions on ‘Woke’ Issues at Annual Meeting

PARIS, France — During Ubisoft‘s annual shareholder meeting on July 10, CEO Yves Guillemot faced intense questioning from a gamer turned investor over controversial elements in their game Assassin’s Creed Shadows. This confrontation brought online debates about ‘wokeness’ directly into the corporate setting.

The fiery exchange began when a shareholder referenced the game’s main character, Yasuke, a historical Black samurai set in 16th-century Japan, and questioned Guillemot on the company’s perceived political correctness. “Woke or not woke?” the shareholder demanded during the Q&A session.

Guillemot responded by defending the game and its characters, emphasizing, “We wanted to showcase characters with heroic journeys.” He revealed that Yasuke was based on a real person whose story was compelling and deserved representation in video games.

The shareholder didn’t stop there. They also raised concerns about the ‘Stop Killing Games’ petition, which garnered over a million signatures in response to Ubisoft’s decision to delist older titles, including The Crew. “Do you support that petition?” the shareholder asked. Guillemot acknowledged the concern, stating, “Support for all games can’t last forever, but that’s an issue we’re working on.”

Following these contentious questions, Guillemot and CFO Frederick Duguet proceeded with their planned presentations on financial results and future strategies. In addition to fielding questions about Assassin’s Creed Shadows, which has already become the third-best-selling game of 2025, the executives discussed other hot button topics.

Shareholders expressed concerns about the company’s declining stock price and requested more investment in mid-budget games. Guillemot hinted at Ubisoft’s willingness to explore this segment, mentioning successful franchises like Anno and Rayman.

Lastly, while no new game announcements were made during the meeting, Guillemot mentioned an “upcoming launch” for a new Ghost Recon title, a project that has yet to be officially announced. He also revealed that Assassin’s Creed Shadows had a production budget exceeding €100 million, although some analysts speculate the actual figure was even higher.