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 within just seven days of its launch on May 20. This impressive milestone surpasses the initial player counts of both Origins and Odyssey, building on the 2 million players reported just two days into its release. Ubisoft shared these figures along with other statistics that had been previously highlighted in an internal email covered by IGN, which put Shadows' opening weekend performance into context by comparing it to Origins and Odyssey, rather than to the exceptional launch of Valhalla in 2020.

The game achieved the second highest day one sales revenue in the Assassin's Creed franchise, trailing only behind Valhalla. It also marked the biggest Ubisoft day one ever on the PlayStation Store and has accumulated over 40 million hours of playtime since its release.

The success of Assassin’s Creed Shadows is crucial for Ubisoft, especially following a challenging period marked by delays, the sales disappointment of Star Wars Outlaws, and other setbacks including high-profile flops, layoffs, studio closures, and game cancellations. The pressure is intensified by reports that the Guillemot family, Ubisoft's founders, were exploring buyout talks with Tencent and other investors to maintain control over the company's intellectual property. Consequently, the gaming community is closely monitoring Shadows' performance as a barometer of Ubisoft's health.

On Steam, Shadows achieved a significant milestone by becoming the most-played Assassin's Creed game ever, reaching a peak of 64,825 concurrent players over the weekend. This 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 saw a peak of 89,418 players on the same platform.

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While the player numbers and engagement with Assassin’s Creed Shadows are promising, it's challenging to determine whether the game is meeting, exceeding, or falling short of Ubisoft's expectations without specific revenue or sales data. Ultimately, the financial performance of Shadows will be a critical indicator not only of the game's success but also of Ubisoft's future, with more clarity likely to emerge in the company's upcoming financial reports.

For those looking to delve into the world of Assassin’s Creed Shadows, set in feudal Japan, make sure to explore our comprehensive Assassin's Creed Shadows guide, including our Assassin's Creed Shadows walkthrough, our detailed Assassin's Creed Shadows Interactive Map, and our guide to all the crucial things Assassin’s Creed Shadows doesn’t tell you.