Ubisoft has apologized for an instance of ableist text found in Assassin's Creed Valhalla after an accessibility advocate pointed out the problematic language. The company has promised it will be addressed with a future patch.

　　Courtney Craven, founder of the accessibility site Can I Play That?, tweeted about the text describing a character named Eorforwine, who suffered from severe burns. The description says she was "horribly burned in a childhood accident" and is now "terrified someone will see her disfigured face."

　　You need a javascript enabled browser to watch videos.

　　Click To Unmute

　　Firearms Expert’s FAVORITE Weapons Of 2023

　　State Of Gaming Handhelds In 2023How Lies of P Cracked the Souls GenreLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Ichiban Kasuga Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Chitose Fujinomiya Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Kazuma Kiryu Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Saeko Mukoda Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Eric Tomizawa Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Tianyou Zhao Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Seonhee Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Koichi Adachi Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Yu Nanba Character Spotlight Trailer

　　Share

　　LinkEmbed

　　Size:640 × 360480 × 270

　　Start at: End at: Autoplay Loop

　　Want us to remember this setting for all your devices?

　　Sign up or Sign in now!

　　Please use a html5 video capable browser to watch videos.

　　This video has an invalid file format.

　　00:00:00

　　HTML5

　　Auto HD High Low

　　Report a problem

　　Sorry, but you can't access this content!

Please enter your date of birth to view this video

　　By clicking 'enter', you agree to GameSpot's

　　Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

　　enter

　　Now Playing: Assassin's Creed Valhalla Review

　　Craven said that it's "absolutely unacceptable to talk about facial differences this way." She also described the embarrassment of seeing the game representing burns this way while sitting next to her girlfriend, who "is a burn victim and spent many years ashamed of her scars."

　　Ubisoft quickly issued a response apologizing for "unintentionally reinforcing ableism through this language." It promised to remove the language in an upcoming update, but didn't give a timeline for when that update may come.

　　I didn't include this in my #AssassinsCreedValhalla impressions piece but it's equally important to address. This is a character description in the game. It's absolutely unacceptable to talk about facial differences this way. Writers for games and otherwise need to do better. pic.twitter.com/jOLpPzD6Oe

　　— Courtney Craven (@CyclopediaBrain) November 9, 2020

　　Thank you so much for pointing this out - we apologize for unintentionally reinforcing ableism through this language. We will remove this language in an upcoming update.

　　— Assassin's Creed (@assassinscreed) November 9, 2020

　　Earlier this year, Ubisoft apologized for an Assassin's Creed retrospective trailer that featured no women. The company also came under scrutiny after numerous allegations of assault and abuse were made against various employees. One of the employees who was fired from Ubisoft in the wake of these allegations was Valhalla director Ashraf Ismail. He had taken a leave of absence prior to his firing.

　　The company has been made to publicly reckon with its history of abuse following numerous reports of the company's "frat house" culture.

　　"Despite its strong connection to past games, Assassin's Creed Valhalla is more than capable of standing on its own," Jordan Ramée wrote in GameSpot's Assassin's Creed Valhalla review. "It takes a little while to build momentum, but when it hits its stride, Valhalla is a confident Assassin's Creed title that takes a few narrative risks which, as a whole, pay off. Eivor is a good hero with an identity that drives the mystery behind the main narrative, and she shines in the self-contained arc structure of Valhalla's story. The supporting cast may not shine as brightly, but it's easy to forgive that when exploring England and discovering new nuggets of worldbuilding is so rewarding."