Assassin's Creed Shadows has made a strong debut, surpassing 1 million players on its launch day, Ubisoft proudly announced. Released on March 20 across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S platforms, the game reached this impressive milestone 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 the 1 million player mark is a significant achievement, it's challenging to fully assess the game's success without specific sales figures or targets from Ubisoft. However, it's clear that Assassin's Creed Shadows is currently the top-selling video game on Steam globally, based on Valve's revenue-based chart. Early data from Steam also shows that the game achieved a peak concurrent player count of 41,412 on launch day. Given the game's Thursday release, it's anticipated that these numbers will increase over the weekend, providing a clearer picture of its performance in the coming weeks. Neither Sony nor Microsoft disclose player numbers, making Steam's data particularly valuable.
For context, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, a single-player RPG by BioWare, launched on Steam on October 31, 2024, and reached a peak of 70,414 players, setting a benchmark for comparison.
The Complete Assassin's Creed Timeline
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The success of Assassin's Creed Shadows is crucial for Ubisoft, especially following several delays and the disappointing sales of last year’s Star Wars Outlaws. The company has faced numerous challenges, including high-profile flops, layoffs, studio closures, and game cancellations leading up to this release.
Additionally, Assassin's Creed Shadows has navigated through several controversies, particularly in Japan. IGN reported that Ubisoft released a day-one patch addressing concerns from Japanese politicians about the depiction of in-game temples and shrines. This issue was even discussed in an official government meeting by Hiroyuki Kada, a Japanese politician, with a response from Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.
Assassin's Creed Shadows - Early Skills Tier List
Assassin's Creed Shadows - Early Skills Tier List
On Steam, Assassin's Creed Shadows has been well-received, earning 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 as "one of the best versions of the open-world style it’s been honing for the last decade" due to its refined systems.
Amidst these developments, reports suggest that Ubisoft's founding Guillemot family and largest shareholder are in discussions with Tencent and other investors about a potential buyout that would allow them to retain control of the company.
