Ubisoft has celebrated another significant milestone for Assassin’s Creed Shadows, announcing that the game has reached 2 million players since its launch on March 20. This impressive figure marks a notable increase from the 1 million players recorded on the game's first day. Ubisoft highlighted that this surpasses the launch performances of both Assassin’s Creed Origins and Odyssey, stating, “Thank you for joining the journey in Feudal Japan!”
While Ubisoft has not yet disclosed specific sales figures for Assassin’s Creed Shadows, the game has already claimed the top spot on Steam's sales charts. This achievement comes after Ubisoft's return to Steam following a period of exclusivity on the Epic Games Store for its PC launches. At the time of writing, Assassin’s Creed Shadows boasted 58,894 concurrent players on Steam, securing a position within the platform's top 30 most-played games. Analysts anticipate that this peak will climb higher over the opening weekend, potentially making Shadows the most-played game on Steam in the near future.
For context, Assassin’s Creed Origins reached a peak of 41,551 concurrent players on Steam over seven years ago, while Odyssey hit 62,069. Comparatively, BioWare's Dragon Age: The Veilguard, which launched on Steam on October 31, 2024, achieved a peak of 89,418 players.
It's important to note that the total concurrent peak for Assassin’s Creed Shadows will be significantly higher, considering its availability on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S, platforms for which player numbers are not publicly disclosed by Sony or Microsoft.
The success of Assassin’s Creed Shadows is crucial for Ubisoft, especially following multiple delays and the underwhelming sales of last year's Star Wars Outlaws. The company has faced numerous challenges, including high-profile flops, layoffs, studio closures, and game cancellations. The situation at Ubisoft became so dire that the Guillemot family and its largest shareholder are reportedly in discussions with Tencent and other investors about a potential buyout to maintain control.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows itself has not been without controversy, particularly in Japan. This week, IGN reported that Ubisoft released a day-one patch addressing concerns raised by some Japanese politicians regarding the depiction of temples and shrines in the game. The issue was even brought up in a Japanese government meeting by politician Hiroyuki Kada, with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba responding to the concerns.
On Steam, Assassin’s Creed Shadows is receiving positive feedback, maintaining a 'very positive' user review rating with 81% of over 6,000 reviews being positive. IGN's review awarded the game an 8/10, praising it for refining its open-world mechanics and delivering one of the best experiences in the series to date.
For those eager to explore feudal Japan through Assassin’s Creed Shadows, IGN offers a comprehensive guide, including a walkthrough, an interactive map, and insights into aspects the game doesn't explicitly mention.
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Every Assassin's Creed Game Tier List
For a detailed look at how Assassin’s Creed Shadows stacks up against its predecessors, check out our tier list of every Assassin's Creed game.
