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

Since its launch on May 20, Assassin's Creed Shadows has captivated over 3 million players within just seven days, marking a significant milestone for Ubisoft. This number is a substantial increase from the 2 million players reported on the game's second day and surpasses the launch figures of both Origins and Odyssey. Ubisoft's recent statistics, previously shared in an internal email covered by IGN, contextualize Shadows' opening weekend performance as superior to Origins and Odyssey, though not quite reaching the "perfect storm" success of 2020's Valhalla.

Assassin's Creed Shadows boasts the second highest day one sales revenue in the franchise's history, only behind Valhalla. It also achieved the highest Ubisoft day one sales on the PlayStation Store and has accumulated over 40 million hours of gameplay so far. These figures underscore the game's strong market reception and player engagement.

The performance of Assassin's Creed Shadows is under intense scrutiny, especially given Ubisoft's recent challenges, including delays, the sales failure of Star Wars Outlaws, and other setbacks such as high-profile flops, layoffs, studio closures, and game cancellations. The situation at Ubisoft became so dire that the Guillemot family, its founders, reportedly considered talks with Tencent and other investors about a buyout to retain control of the company's intellectual property. As such, the gaming industry is closely monitoring Shadows' early performance as an indicator of Ubisoft's future trajectory.

On Steam, Assassin's Creed Shadows set a new record for the franchise, becoming the most-played Assassin's Creed game ever with a peak of 64,825 concurrent players over the weekend. This achievement is noteworthy, as it was the first game in the series to launch on Steam since 2018's Odyssey. Comparatively, BioWare’s Dragon Age: The Veilguard reached a peak of 89,418 players on the platform.

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Determining whether Assassin's Creed Shadows meets, exceeds, or falls short of Ubisoft's expectations is challenging without specific revenue or sales figures. Ultimately, the financial performance of Shadows will be crucial not only for the game itself but for Ubisoft's overall health. A clearer picture may emerge with Ubisoft's next financial report in the coming months.

For those embarking on adventures in feudal Japan, our comprehensive Assassin's Creed Shadows guide offers invaluable resources, including an Assassin's Creed Shadows walkthrough, an Assassin's Creed Shadows Interactive Map, and insights into things Assassin’s Creed Shadows doesn’t tell you.