Ubisoft has celebrated another milestone for Assassin’s Creed Shadows, announcing that the game has reached 2 million players since its launch on March 20. This number has doubled from the 1 million players it achieved on its first day. Ubisoft highlighted that this surpasses the initial player counts of both Assassin’s Creed Origins and Odyssey, stating, "Thank you for joining the journey in Feudal Japan!"
Although Ubisoft has not disclosed specific sales figures for Assassin’s Creed Shadows, the game has secured its position as the top-selling title on Steam. Ubisoft's return to Steam after a period of exclusivity on the Epic Games Store has evidently paid off. At the time of this article's publication, Assassin’s Creed Shadows boasted 58,894 concurrent players on Steam, placing it among the top 30 most-played games on the platform. It is anticipated that this peak will increase over the game's opening weekend.
For context, Assassin’s Creed Origins reached an all-time peak of 41,551 players on Steam over seven years ago, while Odyssey peaked at 62,069. Given these figures, it's likely that Shadows will soon become the most-played Assassin’s Creed game on Steam.
In addition to its Steam performance, Assassin’s Creed Shadows has launched on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S, though player numbers for these platforms remain undisclosed by Sony and Microsoft.
The game's success is critical for Ubisoft, especially following multiple delays and the disappointing sales of last year's Star Wars Outlaws. Ubisoft has faced significant challenges, including high-profile flops, layoffs, studio closures, and game cancellations leading up to Shadows' release. The pressure is intensified by reports that Ubisoft's founding Guillemot family and its largest shareholder are exploring potential buyout deals with investors like Tencent to maintain control.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows has not been without controversy, particularly in Japan. This week, Ubisoft quietly released a day-one patch in response to concerns from Japanese politicians about in-game representations of temples and shrines. This issue was even raised in an official government meeting by Japanese politician Hiroyuki Kada, with a response from Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.
On Steam, the game has received a 'very positive' user review rating, with 81% of over 6,000 reviews being positive. IGN's review scored it an 8/10, praising the game for refining its open-world mechanics and creating one of the best iterations of the series to date.
For those looking to explore feudal Japan in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, check out our comprehensive guide, walkthrough, interactive map, and tips on what the game doesn't explicitly tell you.
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