Ubisoft's latest addition to the Assassin's Creed franchise, Assassin's Creed Shadows, has rapidly garnered 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, marking a significant achievement for the series. Ubisoft reported that the game hit 2 million players by its second day, showcasing a strong start and sustained growth.
The company provided additional statistics that highlight Shadows' performance, noting it achieved the second highest day one sales revenue in the Assassin's Creed series, only trailing behind Valhalla. It also set a record as Ubisoft's biggest day one launch on the PlayStation Store, with players logging 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 challenges including delays, the underwhelming sales of Star Wars Outlaws, and other setbacks such as high-profile flops, layoffs, studio closures, and game cancellations. The pressure on Shadows to succeed is palpable, especially as Ubisoft's founding Guillemot family has been exploring potential buyout deals with investors like Tencent to secure the company's future and maintain control over its intellectual property.
The gaming community is closely monitoring Shadows' performance, particularly its concurrent player numbers on Steam. Over the weekend, Shadows became the most-played Assassin's Creed game on the platform with a peak of 64,825 concurrent players. This is a notable achievement, although it's the first game in the series to launch on Steam since Odyssey in 2018. For comparison, BioWare's Dragon Age: The Veilguard reached a peak of 89,418 players on Steam.
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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 the game will be crucial, not only for its own future but also for Ubisoft's overall health. Investors and fans alike will have to wait for Ubisoft's upcoming financial report to gain a clearer understanding of Shadows' impact.
For those eager to explore the world of Assassin's Creed Shadows, set in feudal Japan, our comprehensive guide offers everything you need. Dive into our Assassin's Creed Shadows guide, follow our Assassin's Creed Shadows walkthrough, use our Assassin's Creed Shadows Interactive Map, and learn about the things Assassin’s Creed Shadows doesn’t tell you.
