Elon Musk calls Assassin’s Creed Shadows ‘objectively terrible’: Here is Ubisoft’s sharp retort to Tesla CEO

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has once again found himself embroiled in online controversy, this time over his criticism of Ubisoft and its latest release, Assassin’s Creed Shadows. The billionaire, who frequently comments on gaming and technology, labelled the upcoming title as “objectively terrible,” sparking a heated exchange with the game’s social media team.

Mark Kern’s accusations and Musk’s involvement

The row began when Mark Kern, also known as Grummz—an industry veteran known for his work on World of Warcraft and Firefall—criticised Ubisoft for partnering with certain content creators. Kern accused the publisher of financially supporting what he described as “terrorist-platforming streamers”, sharing a screenshot of the user Hasan The Hun promoting the game.

Elon Musk soon entered the fray, taking aim at Hasan, calling him “a fraud” and “a sell-out” for endorsing the title.

Ubisoft’s sharp response to Musk

However, Elon Musk’s scathing remarks were swiftly met with a sharp rebuttal from Assassin’s Creed’s official social media account. In a biting response, the Ubisoft team wrote, “Is that what the guy playing your Path of Exile 2 account told you?”

The tweet alluded to past controversies surrounding Musk’s gaming achievements, particularly accusations that he had outsourced his gameplay to others.

Elon Musk’s gaming credibility under scrutiny

Elon Musk had previously claimed to be among the top 20 players in Diablo IV, a boast that was met with scepticism. It was later revealed that his account had been boosted—meaning that others had played on his behalf.

Similar suspicions arose regarding his Path of Exile 2 progress, with veteran gamers like Kripparian and Quin69 dissecting his livestream performances. They pointed out Elon Musk’s struggles with basic game mechanics, such as failing to pick up a Chaos Orb or manage his inventory efficiently.

Analysis of his account activity suggested near-constant playtime, leading many to conclude that he had not been the primary player behind his character’s achievements.

Why are gamers upset with Assassin's Creed Shadow?

As the backlash against Musk gathered momentum, many users on social media lauded Ubisoft’s response, praising the sharp wit of its social media manager.

Meanwhile, discussions about Assassin’s Creed Shadows continued, with some players expressing their discontent over the game’s inclusion of a Black samurai character. Fans have also expressed anger in providing feedback on the title.

“Just thinking out loud here, but If a majority of your fan base is giving negative feedback… Maybe it’s time to listen to them?” said an X user.

This debate was further fuelled when popular streamer FightinCowboy shut down negative comments during a livestream, asserting that such criticisms had no place in his community. In a follow-up video, he condemned the fixation on character diversity in gaming, arguing that “normal people don’t get upset about this.”