"Assassin’s Creed Shadows Hits 1 Million Players on Launch Day: Ubisoft"

Assassin’s Creed Shadows has achieved a remarkable feat, crossing the 1 million player mark on its launch day, as announced by Ubisoft. The game, which hit the shelves on March 20 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S, saw this 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 count is impressive, gauging the game's overall success remains challenging without specific sales figures or targets from Ubisoft. However, Assassin’s Creed Shadows currently holds the title of the top-selling video game globally on Steam, based on Valve's revenue chart. On its launch day, the game reached a peak concurrent player count of 41,412 on Steam. Given its Thursday release, it's anticipated that these numbers will increase over the weekend, providing a clearer picture of its performance in the coming weeks. Notably, neither Sony nor Microsoft disclose player numbers, making Steam a key indicator of the game's popularity.

For comparison, BioWare’s single-player RPG, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, launched on Steam on October 31, 2024, and achieved a peak of 70,414 players. This context highlights the competitive landscape of new releases on the platform.

The Complete Assassin's Creed Timeline

25 Images

The release of Assassin's Creed Shadows comes at a critical time for Ubisoft, 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 launch. Moreover, Assassin's Creed Shadows itself has not been without controversy, particularly in Japan, where Ubisoft released a day-one patch addressing concerns from some Japanese politicians about the depiction of in-game temples and shrines. This issue was even discussed in an official government meeting between Japanese politician Hiroyuki Kada and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.

Assassin's Creed Shadows - Early Skills Tier List

On Steam, Assassin's Creed Shadows has received 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, commending it for "sharpening the edges of its existing systems, creating one of the best versions of the open-world style it’s been honing for the last decade."

Amidst these developments, reports suggest that Ubisoft's founding Guillemot family and largest shareholder are exploring talks with Chinese mega-corp Tencent and other investors on a potential buyout deal that would allow them to retain control of the company.