Ubisoft has announced that Assassin's Creed Shadows has attracted over 3 million players since its launch. This impressive milestone was reached just seven days after the game's release on May 20, building on the 2 million players reported on day two. This surge in player numbers has surpassed the launch performances of both Origins and Odyssey.
Additional statistics shared by Ubisoft were previously disclosed in an internal email covered by IGN. The email contextualized Shadows' opening weekend performance, indicating it performed better than Origins and Odyssey but not as exceptionally as Valhalla, which launched during a "perfect storm" in 2020.
Assassin's Creed Shadows recorded the second highest day one sales revenue in the franchise's history, only behind Valhalla. It also achieved the highest day one sales ever on the PlayStation Store for Ubisoft and has accumulated over 40 million hours of playtime.
The launch of Assassin's Creed Shadows is under intense scrutiny globally due to Ubisoft's recent challenges, including multiple delays and the commercial disappointment of Star Wars Outlaws the previous year. Ubisoft faced several setbacks, including high-profile flops, layoffs, studio closures, and game cancellations leading up to Shadows' release.
The situation became so dire that the founding Guillemot family reportedly explored discussions with Chinese conglomerate Tencent and other investors about a potential buyout to retain control over Ubisoft's intellectual property. Consequently, the gaming industry is closely monitoring Assassin's Creed Shadows' early performance as an indicator of its success or failure.
There is significant interest in Shadows' concurrent player numbers on Steam, which are being compared to those of other recently released triple-A single-player games and previous Assassin's Creed titles. Over the weekend, Shadows set a new record for the series on Steam with a peak of 64,825 concurrent players, making it the most-played Assassin's Creed game on the platform to date. It's important to note that Shadows was the first game in the series to launch on Steam day-one since Odyssey in 2018. In comparison, BioWare’s single-player RPG Dragon Age: The Veilguard reached a peak of 89,418 players on Steam.
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It is challenging to determine whether Assassin's Creed Shadows is meeting, exceeding, or falling short of Ubisoft's expectations without specific data on those expectations, revenue, or sales figures. Ultimately, the financial performance of Shadows will play a crucial role not only in the game's future but also in the overall trajectory of Ubisoft. A clearer picture of this may emerge with Ubisoft's upcoming financial report.
For those exploring the world of feudal Japan in Assassin's Creed Shadows, our comprehensive Assassin's Creed Shadows guide is available. It includes our detailed Assassin's Creed Shadows walkthrough, an Assassin's Creed Shadows Interactive Map, and a guide to all the essential things Assassin’s Creed Shadows doesn’t tell you.
