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

Assassin’s Creed Shadows welcomed over 1 million players on its launch day, marking a strong start for Ubisoft's latest title. The game launched globally on March 20 across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. Just before 4 p.m. local time in Canada, Ubisoft shared the milestone via social media.

“It's not even 4pm here in Canada and Assassin's Creed Shadows has already passed 1 million players!” the developer announced.
“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 day one is a notable success, Ubisoft has not disclosed official sales figures or revenue targets, making it harder to fully assess the game’s commercial performance. However, early data shows that Assassin’s Creed Shadows is currently the top-selling game on Steam by revenue, indicating strong player interest and spending.

Steam’s official statistics also reveal that the game reached a peak concurrent player count of 41,412 on launch day. Considering the Thursday release, this number is expected to rise over the weekend. A clearer picture of long-term engagement will emerge in the coming weeks. It's worth noting that Sony and Microsoft do not publicly share similar player statistics for their platforms.

For context, BioWare’s Dragon Age: The Veilguard, which launched on Steam on October 31, 2024, peaked at 70,414 concurrent players on Valve’s platform.

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The pressure is high for Assassin’s Creed Shadows to succeed following several delays and the underwhelming performance of last year’s Star Wars Outlaws. Ubisoft has faced multiple challenges recently, including high-profile project cancellations, studio closures, leadership shakeups, and layoffs.

The game also encountered controversy in Japan. Recently, IGN reported that Ubisoft quietly released a day-one patch modifying certain in-game elements—particularly temples and shrines—likely in response to concerns raised by Japanese lawmakers.

In a rare occurrence, the topic of Assassin’s Creed Shadows was brought up during an official session of the Japanese government. Hiroyuki Kada, a member of the House of Councillors, addressed the issue, prompting a response from Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.

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On Steam, player reception has been largely positive, with the game holding a “Very Positive” review status. Approximately 82% of nearly 4,000 user reviews are favorable. IGN’s review awarded the game an 8/10, praising its refined open-world systems: “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.”

Amid these developments, Ubisoft’s founding Guillemot family, the company’s largest shareholder, is reportedly in discussions with Tencent and other investors regarding a potential buyout deal aimed at maintaining control over the storied studio.