Ubisoft has announced that Assassin’s Creed Shadows achieved a remarkable milestone by surpassing 1 million players on its launch day. The game, which was released on March 20 across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S, hit this impressive mark before 4pm in Canada. Ubisoft expressed their gratitude on social media, stating, "It's not even 4pm here in Canada and Assassin's Creed Shadows has already passed 1 million players! Thank YOU from the bottom of our hearts for joining this adventure in Feudal Japan. We are beyond excited to start this journey with you!"
While reaching 1 million players on launch day is a significant achievement, it's challenging to fully assess the game's success without specific sales figures or targets from Ubisoft. However, Assassin’s Creed Shadows is currently the top-selling video game on Steam globally, indicating strong revenue performance. On Steam, the game reached a peak concurrent player count of 41,412 on its launch day. Given that it was released on a Thursday, this number is expected to increase over the weekend. We'll have a clearer picture of its Steam performance in the coming weeks. Neither Sony nor Microsoft disclose player numbers, making Steam the primary source for these statistics.
For comparison, BioWare’s single-player RPG Dragon Age: The Veilguard, which launched on Steam on October 31, 2024, achieved a peak of 70,414 players.
The Complete Assassin's Creed Timeline
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The success of Assassin's Creed Shadows is crucial for Ubisoft, especially following delays and the sales disappointment of Star Wars Outlaws last year. The company has faced numerous challenges, including high-profile flops, layoffs, studio closures, and game cancellations leading up to this release.
Assassin's Creed Shadows has also been at the center of several controversies, particularly in Japan. Ubisoft quietly released a day-one patch addressing concerns raised by some Japanese politicians regarding in-game representations of temples and shrines. In a notable incident, Japanese politician Hiroyuki Kada brought up the game in an official government meeting, prompting a response from Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.
Assassin's Creed Shadows - Early Skills Tier List
On Steam, Assassin's Creed Shadows is receiving positive feedback, boasting a 'very positive' user review rating with 82% of nearly 4,000 reviews being positive. IGN's review of the game scored it an 8/10, praising it by saying, "By sharpening the edges of its existing systems, Assassin’s Creed Shadows creates one of the best versions of the open-world style it’s been honing for the last decade."
Amidst these developments, Ubisoft's founding Guillemot family and largest shareholder are reportedly in discussions with Tencent and other investors about a potential buyout that would allow them to retain control of the company.
