Ubisoft suspends advertising on X, formerly Twitter

Assassin’s Creed publisher Ubisoft has pulled its live advertising from X, formerly Twitter, amid the ongoing row over anti-Semitism on the platform.

Ubisoft is among other companies such as Apple, Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery that have suspended advertising on X, BBC News reported today.

In a statement to AxiosUbisoft has announced that it has disabled advertising for Assassin’s Creed Nexus VR, the recently launched spin-off of its hit series designed for virtual reality headsets.

“We have launched a campaign,” said a Ubisoft spokesperson. “We have suspended advertising on X.”

X’s own public statistics claimed that Ubisoft’s ad was viewed 10 million times on the platform before being disabled.

The companies pulled their ads after an analysis by advocacy group Media Matters for America claimed the brands’ posts were displayed alongside X-rated messages promoting Nazism and Holocaust denial.

This claim was strongly denied by X’s boss, Linda Yaccarino, and today, X launched a lawsuit against Media Matters for America, which claims it “manipulated” data.

X owner Elon Musk also denied being anti-Semitic, following criticism over his sharing of a post containing a conspiracy theory widely considered anti-Semitic which he later claimed was “actual truth”.

Musk’s decisions as owner of X have been repeatedly criticized since he acquired the social media platform last year, such as reinstating numerous accounts previously banned for hate speech.

This latest row over anti-Semitism comes amid concerns about a rise in anti-Semitism and Islamophobia globally since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza last month.

Microsoft and Sony dropped the ability to share gameplay captures directly to X from Xbox and PlayStation consoles sometime this year. The changes follow Musk’s takeover of X and the decision to charge a substantial fee for using its API.