During a special preview event in Kyoto, Japan, Ubisoft announced that Japanese actor Mackenyu will make his video game debut in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. He is best known for his role as Roronoa Zoro in Netflix’s live-action adaptation of One Piece (2023) and his other works include Knights of the Zodiac (2023) and Dragons of Wonderhatch (2023).
Mackenyu will lend his voice (both in Japanese and English) and likeness as a non-player-character (NPC), Gennojo, who crosses paths with the game’s protagonists, Naoe and Yasuke, while they are tracking a crucial target. Players will be able to recruit him in the Shinobi League to aid in their fight against the forces of corruption. He will of course try to romance with Naoe through the course of the game and he enjoys the challenge it brings.
“I have fond memories of the franchise. I was in middle school when Assassin’s Creed first came out, and I remember my friends and I would gather at a friend’s house and take turns playing the game. When I heard that the new Assassin’s Creed game would be set in Japan, I knew that I needed to be part of this project, ” Mackenyu said.
“Mackenyu’s performance added something really special to our game. His unique energy and charisma breathe life into Gennojo, and we’re eager for players to meet the character and explore his story,” said Jonathan Dumont, Creative Director at Ubisoft Quebec, the lead development studio for Assassin’s Creed Shadows.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows launches worldwide on 20 March 2025 for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC.
Yonk is a geek who is fortunate enough to have an equally geeky Star Wars fan for a wife, who owns a LEGO Millennium Falcon encased in a glass coffee table as their home’s centre-piece.
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