Ubisoft announced that *Assassin’s Creed Shadows* attracted over 1 million players on its launch day, a testament to the game's widespread appeal. Released on March 20 across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S, Ubisoft shared the impressive milestone on social media just before 4pm in Canada, stating, "It's not even 4pm here in Canada and Assassin's Creed Shadows has already passed 1 million players!" The company expressed heartfelt gratitude to the community, saying, "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 hitting 1 million players on launch day is undoubtedly a strong start, it's challenging to fully assess the game's success without specific sales figures or targets from Ubisoft. However, *Assassin’s Creed Shadows* has secured the top spot as the best-selling video game on Steam globally, indicating robust revenue generation on Valve's platform.
Early data from Steam shows that *Assassin’s Creed Shadows* achieved a peak concurrent player count of 41,412 on its launch day. Given that the game was released on a Thursday, it is anticipated that these numbers will increase over the weekend. A clearer picture of its performance on Steam will emerge in the coming weeks. It's worth noting that neither Sony nor Microsoft disclose player numbers, making Steam's data a key indicator of the game's initial reception.
For comparison, BioWare’s single-player RPG *Dragon Age: The Veilguard*, which launched on Steam on October 31, 2024, reached a peak of 70,414 players, providing some context within the gaming industry.
The Complete Assassin's Creed Timeline
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*Assassin's Creed Shadows* faces significant expectations following a series of delays and the underperformance of last year's *Star Wars Outlaws*. Ubisoft has encountered numerous challenges, including high-profile flops, layoffs, studio closures, and game cancellations leading up to this release.
The game has also stirred controversy, particularly in Japan. IGN reported that Ubisoft released a day-one patch for *Assassin’s Creed Shadows* addressing concerns from Japanese politicians about the depiction of in-game temples and shrines. This issue was even discussed in an official government meeting, where Japanese politician Hiroyuki Kada and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba addressed the game's content.
Assassin's Creed Shadows - Early Skills Tier List
On Steam, *Assassin's Creed Shadows* is receiving positive feedback, earning a 'very positive' user review rating with 82% of nearly 4,000 reviews being positive. IGN's review scored the game an 8/10, praising it as "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 in discussions with Tencent and other investors regarding a potential buyout that would allow them to maintain control of the company.
