Assassin’s Creed Shadows Hits 3 Million Players, Ubisoft Silent on Sales

Ubisoft has announced that Assassin’s Creed Shadows has attracted over 3 million players just seven days after its launch on May 20. This impressive number marks a significant increase from the 2 million players reported on the game's second day and surpasses the launch figures of both Origins and Odyssey. Ubisoft contextualized Shadows' opening weekend performance in an internal email, comparing it favorably to Origins and Odyssey, but noting it did not replicate the "perfect storm" success of 2020's Valhalla.

Shadows achieved the second highest day one sales revenue in the Assassin's Creed franchise history, only trailing behind Valhalla. It also set a record as Ubisoft's biggest day one launch on the PlayStation Store. Players have logged over 40 million hours in the game so far.

The launch of Assassin’s Creed Shadows comes at a critical time for Ubisoft, following a series of delays and the commercial disappointment of Star Wars Outlaws last year. The company faced numerous challenges including high-profile flops, layoffs, studio closures, and game cancellations leading up to Shadows' release. The situation was so dire that the Guillemot family, Ubisoft's founders, reportedly explored buyout discussions with Tencent and other investors to maintain control over the company's intellectual property. The gaming community is closely monitoring Shadows' performance as an indicator of Ubisoft's future.

On Steam, Shadows set a new record for the Assassin's Creed series, reaching a peak of 64,825 concurrent players over the weekend. This milestone is notable as it was the first game in the series to launch day-one on Steam since Odyssey in 2018. For comparison, BioWare’s Dragon Age: The Veilguard achieved a peak of 89,418 concurrent players on the same platform.

The Complete Assassin's Creed Timeline

25 Images

While Shadows has shown strong player engagement, determining whether it meets, exceeds, or falls short of Ubisoft's expectations remains challenging without specific revenue or sales figures. Ultimately, the financial performance of Assassin’s Creed Shadows will be crucial not only for the game itself but also for Ubisoft's overall health. We'll likely have a clearer picture when Ubisoft releases its next financial report in the coming months.

For those diving into the world of feudal Japan with Assassin’s Creed Shadows, our comprehensive Assassin's Creed Shadows guide is here to help. It includes an Assassin's Creed Shadows walkthrough, a detailed Assassin's Creed Shadows Interactive Map, and insights into things Assassin’s Creed Shadows doesn’t tell you.