The pressure is immense on Assassin's Creed Shadows to perform exceptionally well for Ubisoft on a global scale, especially following a series of delays and the disappointing sales of Star Wars Outlaws last year. Ubisoft has faced several challenges recently, including high-profile flops, layoffs, studio closures, and game cancellations leading up to the release of Assassin's Creed Shadows. The situation at Ubisoft has become so dire that the Guillemot family, the company's founders, are reportedly exploring talks with Chinese mega-corp Tencent and other investors to discuss a buyout deal that would allow them to retain control over the company's intellectual property.
The video game industry is closely monitoring the early performance of Assassin's Creed Shadows for indications of its success or failure. Ubisoft has not disclosed specific sales figures yet, but they have announced that Assassin's Creed Shadows reached 2 million players just two days after its launch, surpassing the launch numbers of both Origins and Odyssey.
Attention is also focused on Shadows' concurrent player counts on Steam, which are being compared to other recent triple-A single-player games and previous entries in the Assassin's Creed series on Valve's platform. Over the weekend, Shadows became the most-played Assassin's Creed game ever on Steam, peaking at 64,825 concurrent players. Notably, it was the first game in the series to launch day-one on Steam. In comparison, BioWare's single-player RPG Dragon Age: The Veilguard reached a peak of 89,418 players on the same platform.
It's challenging to determine whether Shadows is falling short of, meeting, or exceeding Ubisoft's expectations without knowing the specific targets set by the company. However, a source from within Ubisoft, who shared an internal email reviewed by IGN, has provided insights into the game's performance over its first weekend.
The internal data reveals that Shadows achieved the second-highest day-one sales revenue in the franchise's history, trailing only behind Valhalla from 2020, which benefited from the stay-at-home gaming trend during the pandemic and launched across multiple console generations. Shadows also marked Ubisoft's best ever day-one launch on the PlayStation Store, indicating strong performance on the PS5.
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On the PC front, Shadows saw 27% of its total "activations" on this platform. Ubisoft's internal communications emphasized the significant role Steam played in Shadows' PC performance, although exact sell-through numbers were not disclosed. Ubisoft stated that the early results "are a strong validation of our decision to return to the platform."
Ubisoft is highlighting player engagement, which is reportedly at "record levels," and feedback from moderated, verified platforms — less susceptible to review bombing — has been overwhelmingly positive. Shadows was the most-wishlisted Ubisoft game ever and is outperforming all other Assassin's Creed titles on Twitch, including Valhalla.
Ubisoft's internal communications provide context for comparing Shadows' launch with other games in the franchise. While Shadows did not match Valhalla's launch performance, Ubisoft argues that it's unfair to draw direct comparisons because Valhalla benefited from a "perfect storm" of factors, including the global pandemic and the launch of new console hardware. "Valhalla launched under extraordinary conditions — in the middle of a global pandemic, with widespread lockdowns and brand-new console hardware," the internal communication states. "It was a perfect storm we may never see again. That's why it's more meaningful to compare Shadows to entries like Origins, Odyssey, and Mirage — games released in more typical cycles. And in that frame, Shadows is already setting a new bar as illustrated above."
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Ubisoft also pointed out that Shadows was released in March, a deviation from the typical launch timing just before the U.S. Thanksgiving window, which usually boosts sales. Moreover, Ubisoft did not offer an early access period for Shadows, a move that typically generates additional revenue. It's also important to note that Ubisoft's own subscription service is now available directly on Xbox, which impacts sales on Microsoft’s console and complicates sales comparisons.
Ultimately, the financial performance of Assassin's Creed Shadows will be the deciding factor for both the game's success and Ubisoft's future. We may not have a clear picture of this until Ubisoft's next financial report in the coming months.
For those embarking on an adventure through feudal Japan, 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.
