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

Assassin’s Creed Shadows achieved a remarkable milestone by surpassing 1 million players on its launch day, Ubisoft announced. The game, which hit the shelves for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S on March 20, reached this impressive figure before 4pm in Canada. Ubisoft took to social media to express their gratitude, 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 reaching 1 million players on launch day is a significant achievement, it's challenging to fully assess the game's success without specific sales figures or targets from Ubisoft. However, it's clear that Assassin’s Creed Shadows is performing well, as it currently tops the global sales chart on Steam, indicating it's generating more revenue than any other game on the platform.

Early data from Steam shows that Assassin’s Creed Shadows reached a peak concurrent player count of 41,412 on its launch day. Given that the game was released on a Thursday, it's 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 publicly.

For comparison, BioWare’s single-player RPG, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, which launched on Steam on October 31, 2024, achieved a peak of 70,414 players on the platform.

The Complete Assassin's Creed Timeline

25 Images

There is significant pressure on Assassin's Creed Shadows to perform well globally for Ubisoft, especially following delays and the commercial disappointment of last year’s Star Wars Outlaws. Ubisoft has faced several challenges recently, including high-profile flops, layoffs, studio closures, and game cancellations leading up to the release of Assassin's Creed Shadows.

The game has also been at the center of various controversies, particularly in Japan. IGN confirmed that Ubisoft released a day-one patch for Assassin’s Creed Shadows addressing concerns from some Japanese politicians about the depiction of in-game temples and shrines. In a notable exchange, Japanese politician Hiroyuki Kada raised the issue in an official government meeting, prompting a response from Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.

Assassin's Creed Shadows - Early Skills Tier List

Assassin's Creed Shadows - Early Skills Tier List

On Steam, Assassin's Creed Shadows is receiving positive feedback from players, boasting a 'very positive' user review rating with 82% of nearly 4,000 reviews being positive. IGN’s review of Assassin’s Creed Shadows awarded it an 8/10, praising it as "By sharpening the edges of its existing systems, Assassin’s Creed Shadows creates 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 Chinese mega-corp Tencent and other investors about a potential buyout deal that would allow them to retain control.