Interview with Simon Lemay-Comtois: Assassin's Creed Shadows Associate Game Director

Welcome to the second article in a new series of interviews covering all things Assassin's Creed Shadows. Today we are joined by Associate Game Director Simon Lemay-Comtois from Ubisoft Quebec!

Col: Hi Simon, thank you so much for joining us for this interview. Please can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your role on Assassin's Creed Shadows.

Simon: Hey! My pleasure! The TL;DR on my role as Associate Game Director is - I’m the “gameplay guy”!

I decide which button does what, and how fast our characters should run. But there’s more to it, of course.

Col: When did you first begin working on the project, and when did the project officially gain the title 'Shadows' instead of 'Codename Red'?

Simon: I think I joined as “employee number 12”on the project a little over four years ago. It's been Codename Red for so long, I still get tripped-up when talking about the project, but the game did acquire its name about a week before our initial CG trailer reveal, if memory serves.

Col: Did you join the development team on the research trip to Japan?

Simon: Unfortunately, not – I had personal business to attend to in another corner of Asia at the time.

Col: What would you say are some of the main inspirations behind the atmosphere and tone the team wanted to capture within the world of Assassin's Creed Shadows?

Simon: The levels of details at any scale – from Japan’s rolling landscape and agricultural valleys, down to the various types of wood, the lacquer used on door frames, floors or paintbrushes – the amount of details our art team went into to re-create feudal Japan is astonishing.

Col: Assassin's Creed Shadows is said to have a huge amount of enemy types patrolling the map. What can players do on launch day straight away to prepare for the conflict ahead?

Simon: Learn to pick out samurai from the rest! Unlike other archetypes – like Ashigaru soldiers, say - samurai are extremely well trained and ready for a fight at any moment. Sneaking-up on them can be tricky, as they do not easily fall for the usual Assassins tricks – and even when they do, they’ll likely be a step ahead of you.

Col: Have you visited any other locations from the Assassin's Creed series?

Simon: I’ve visited both New England and old England. Does that count?

Col: What would you say makes Assassin's Creed Shadows different to other games in the AC franchise?

Simon: The way AC Shadows splits the narrative, backstories and unique perspectives between our two protagonist - as well as how each of them plays – is quite unique in the AC Pantheon, I think.

Col: Do different areas of the map feel different to each other?

Simon: Yes of course! Each region has their own landscape quirks, weather conditions, specific flora and fauna, unique architecture and local specialties. We try to find and promote every specific things that defines our various regions during the Sengoku period.

Col: Do Seasons play a role at all in any of the questlines at all or is it purely to change the appearance of the land?

Simon: Short answer is – yes: seasons factor in some questlines.

A more nuanced answer would be that, while some specific things might be season-specific, its is fairly limited and always logical. One example I could give is the painting of wild animal activity called “Sumi-e”: you will only be able to paint short-tailed macaques bathing in hot springs during winter – as they are known to do during the colder months.

Col: Is there a large variety of wildlife in the game, and are there any animals in particular that you feel will excite players?

Simon: Japan has a colorful and charismatic line-up of domestic and wild animals – from the beloved Shiba Inu to the gorgeous mandarin ducks. But for me, the tanukis feel special – especially their tiny babies!

Col: The last RPG in the series, Assassin's Creed Valhalla featured the Ravensthorpe settlement, which acted as a base for players. Is there a headquarters or space you can customize in Assassin's Creed Shadows?

Simon: Oh yeah :D Players can expect unprecedented levels of customization and self-expression when it comes to Shadow’s Hideout!

Col: Naoe and her father live in Iga, a historical region occupied by Shinobi Ninjas. Are there any links between this faction and the Assassin Brotherhood?

Simon: Maybe - or maybe not? Depends if you want me to spoil some interesting story elements, here.

Col: How big of a role does music play when exploring the world of Assassin's Creed Shadows, and will fans of the series recognize any sound effects from previous instalments?

Simon: Sound effects, yes. We are using the same audio feedback for detection as Assassin’s Creed Mirage – because it worked so well there.

But music is another story entirely. In fact, I believe we have one of the boldest, most eclectic musical score ever in the franchise. What our composers and musicians have made is truly special, and I can’t wait for people to get their ears on it!

Col: What were some of the challenges that the team faced when recreating Japan?

Simon: The one thing that really stood out to me was how castles of the period were deliberately laid out to mislead invaders, tricking them to take a left turn when they should’ve gone right - only to end up at a chokepoint or dead-end where arrows could rain down on them from above.

So, creating cohesive gameplay spaces where players would not get turned around too much was pretty tricky, considering our source material was built to fulfil that exact purpose!

Col: Are you excited to see the photo mode captures that will be taken by players once Assassin's Creed Shadows launches?

Simon: Yes I am!

But who’s kidding who - I’m even more exited to use it for myself :D

Col: What sort of mysteries will players be able to find in the world?

Simon: The mysterious kind, mostly.

(Sorry, no spoilers!)

Col: Are you pleased with the response to the game from fans so far, and how excited are the team for launch?

Simon: Any time we get the game into players’ hands, we’re getting what all dev teams hope for: lots of smiles, a few loud shouts – and the occasional tear.

We couldn’t be more exited for this thing to finally come out and find its way into players’ hands on a massive scale!

Col: What would be your dream setting for a future Assassin's Creed game?

Simon: I’m a big fan of World War 2 and all the secret bunker shenanigans an Assassin could get themselves into

Col: Describe Assassin's Creed Shadows in three words.

Simon: Deliberate, realistic, grounded.

We would like to say a huge thank you to Simon for joining us for this interview, and to Ubisoft for making it happen. In particular, we acknowledge the efforts of Dan St Germain from the AC Community Team!

Look out for more interviews in the series, coming soon!