The launch of Assassin's Creed Shadows comes with significant expectations for Ubisoft, especially following the disappointing sales of last year's Star Wars Outlaws. The company has faced numerous challenges, including high-profile flops, layoffs, studio closures, and game cancellations leading up to this release. The pressure is further intensified by reports that the founding Guillemot family is exploring talks with Chinese mega-corp Tencent and other investors on a buyout deal to maintain control over Ubisoft's intellectual property.
As the gaming community closely monitors Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ performance, Ubisoft has yet to release specific sales figures. However, they announced that the game reached 2 million players just two days after launch, surpassing the initial player counts of both Origins and Odyssey. Additionally, the game's performance on Steam has been notable, with Shadows becoming the most-played Assassin's Creed game ever on the platform, peaking at 64,825 concurrent players over the weekend. This marks the first time an Assassin's Creed title has launched day-one on Steam, although it still trails behind BioWare's Dragon Age: The Veilguard, which saw a peak of 89,418 players.
While it's challenging to gauge whether Shadows is meeting Ubisoft's expectations without knowing their specific targets, an internal source has shed light on the game's initial weekend performance. Shadows achieved the second-highest day-one sales revenue in the franchise's history, only behind 2020's Valhalla, which benefited from the unique circumstances of the global pandemic and next-gen console launches. Shadows also set a new record for Ubisoft's best day-one launch on the PlayStation Store, indicating strong performance on the PS5.
On the PC front, 27% of Shadows' total "activations" were on this platform, with Steam playing a "major role" in its success, according to Ubisoft's internal communications. The company emphasizes the high levels of player engagement and positive feedback across moderated platforms, noting that Shadows was the most-wishlisted Ubisoft game ever and is outperforming other Assassin's Creed titles on Twitch.
Ubisoft acknowledges that comparing Shadows to Valhalla is not entirely fair due to the latter's launch during the "perfect storm" of the global pandemic and new console releases. Instead, they suggest comparing it to other entries like Origins, Odyssey, and Mirage, where Shadows sets a new benchmark.
The timing of Shadows' release in March, rather than the usual pre-Thanksgiving window, along with the decision to forgo an early access period and the introduction of Ubisoft's subscription service on Xbox, adds complexity to sales comparisons. Ultimately, the financial success of Assassin’s Creed Shadows will be crucial not just for the game itself but for the future of Ubisoft as a whole. We'll likely have a clearer picture when Ubisoft releases its next financial report.
For those delving into the world of feudal Japan with Assassin's Creed Shadows, be sure to explore our comprehensive guide, including the Assassin's Creed Shadows walkthrough, our detailed Assassin's Creed Shadows Interactive Map, and our guide to all the crucial things the game doesn’t tell you.
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