Since its launch on May 20, Assassin’s Creed Shadows has captivated over 3 million players, Ubisoft has proudly announced. This impressive milestone was reached just seven days after release, marking a significant increase from the 2 million players reported on the second day. The game's launch has outshone both Origins and Odyssey, setting a new benchmark for the franchise.
Ubisoft shared additional statistics, which were initially disclosed through IGN's coverage of an internal company email. The email provided context on Shadows' opening weekend performance, highlighting its success relative to Origins and Odyssey, but not comparing it to the exceptional launch of Valhalla in 2020.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows achieved the second highest day one sales revenue in the franchise's history, only surpassed by Valhalla. It also marked the largest day one sales on the PlayStation Store for Ubisoft. To date, players have logged over 40 million hours in the game.
The stakes are high for Assassin’s Creed Shadows following several delays and the disappointing sales of last year's Star Wars Outlaws. Ubisoft faced numerous challenges including high-profile flops, layoffs, studio closures, and game cancellations leading up to the release of Shadows. The situation was so dire that the founding Guillemot family reportedly explored buyout talks with Chinese conglomerate Tencent and other investors to maintain control over the company's intellectual property. As a result, the gaming community is closely monitoring Assassin’s Creed Shadows' early performance to gauge its success or failure.
Attention is also focused on Shadows' concurrent player numbers on Steam, which are being compared to other recent triple-A single-player games and previous entries in the Assassin's Creed series. Over the weekend, Shadows set a record as the most-played Assassin's Creed game ever on Steam, peaking at 64,825 concurrent players. It's important to note that it was the first game in the series to launch day-one on Steam since Odyssey in 2018. In comparison, BioWare’s Dragon Age: The Veilguard reached a peak of 89,418 players on the platform.
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Determining whether Assassin’s Creed Shadows is underperforming, meeting, or exceeding Ubisoft’s expectations is challenging without specific data on those expectations, revenue figures, or sales numbers. Ultimately, the financial success of Shadows will be critical not only for the game itself but also for Ubisoft's future. A clearer financial picture may emerge with Ubisoft's next financial report in the coming months.
For those eager to explore the world of feudal Japan in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, check out our comprehensive Assassin's Creed Shadows guide, including our Assassin's Creed Shadows walkthrough, our detailed Assassin's Creed Shadows Interactive Map, and our guide to all the crucial things Assassin’s Creed Shadows doesn’t tell you.
