"Assassin’s Creed Shadows Hits 1 Million Players on Launch Day: Ubisoft"

Ubisoft proudly announced that Assassin's Creed Shadows achieved a remarkable milestone, surpassing 1 million players on its launch day. Released on March 20 across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S, the game's popularity was evident even before 4pm in Canada, as Ubisoft shared on social media: "It's not even 4pm here in Canada and Assassin's Creed Shadows has already passed 1 million players!" The company expressed heartfelt gratitude to the community, stating, "Thank YOU from the bottom of our hearts for joining this adventure in Feudal Japan. We are beyond excited to start this journey with you!"

While the 1 million player count is impressive, gauging the game's overall success remains challenging without specific sales figures or targets from Ubisoft. However, it's clear that Assassin's Creed Shadows is performing exceptionally well on Steam, currently topping the charts as the highest revenue-generating game on the platform. Early Steam data shows the game reached a peak concurrent player count of 41,412 on launch day. Given its Thursday release, expectations are high for increased numbers over the first weekend. A clearer picture of its performance on Steam will emerge in the coming weeks, though player numbers from Sony and Microsoft remain undisclosed.

For context, BioWare's Dragon Age: The Veilguard, launched on Steam on October 31, 2024, achieved a peak of 70,414 players, highlighting the competitive landscape of single-player RPGs.

The Complete Assassin's Creed Timeline

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Assassin's Creed Shadows faces significant global expectations following Ubisoft's recent challenges, including delays and the underwhelming sales of last year's Star Wars Outlaws. Ubisoft has navigated through a series of high-profile flops, layoffs, studio closures, and game cancellations leading up to this release.

The game has not been without controversy, particularly in Japan. IGN reported that Ubisoft issued a day-one patch for Assassin’s Creed Shadows, addressing concerns raised by some Japanese politicians regarding in-game representations of temples and shrines. This issue was even discussed in an official government meeting, where Japanese politician Hiroyuki Kada and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba exchanged remarks on the matter.

Assassin's Creed Shadows - Early Skills Tier List

On Steam, Assassin's Creed Shadows has received overwhelmingly positive feedback, earning a 'very positive' user review rating with 82% of nearly 4,000 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 iterations in the franchise's history: "By sharpening the edges of its existing systems, Assassin’s Creed Shadows creates one of the best versions of the open-world style it’s been honing for the last decade."

Amidst these developments, reports suggest that Ubisoft's founding Guillemot family and largest shareholder are in discussions with Tencent and other investors about a potential buyout, aiming to retain control over the company.