Ubisoft has announced that Assassin’s Creed Shadows has attracted over 3 million players within just seven days of its launch on May 20. This impressive milestone surpasses the initial player counts of both Origins and Odyssey, with the game reaching 2 million players by its second day. Ubisoft's internal data, previously reported by IGN, positions Shadows' opening weekend performance as superior to that of Origins and Odyssey, though it does not reach the heights of the "perfect storm" launch of Valhalla in 2020.
Notably, Shadows achieved the second highest day one sales revenue in the Assassin's Creed franchise, only surpassed by Valhalla. It also set a record for Ubisoft with the biggest day one sales on the PlayStation Store and has accumulated over 40 million hours of gameplay so far.
The success of Assassin’s Creed Shadows is crucial for Ubisoft, especially following a series of challenges including delays, the underperformance of Star Wars Outlaws, and other setbacks such as high-profile flops, layoffs, studio closures, and game cancellations. These difficulties led the Guillemot family, Ubisoft's founders, to reportedly explore buyout discussions with Tencent and other investors to retain control over their intellectual property. Consequently, the gaming community is closely monitoring Shadows' performance as an indicator of Ubisoft's future.
On Steam, Shadows achieved the highest peak concurrent players for any Assassin's Creed game, reaching 64,825 over the weekend. This is the first time an Assassin's Creed title has launched on Steam since Odyssey in 2018. For comparison, Dragon Age: The Veilguard by BioWare peaked at 89,418 players on the platform.
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While Assassin’s Creed Shadows has shown strong player engagement, determining its success relative to Ubisoft's expectations remains challenging without specific revenue or sales figures. Ultimately, the financial performance of Shadows will be a critical factor in shaping not only the game's future but also that of Ubisoft. More detailed insights will likely be available in Ubisoft's upcoming financial report.
For those eager to explore the world of Assassin’s Creed Shadows set in feudal Japan, be sure to 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.
