Assassin's Creed Shadows Surpasses 2 Million Players in Just 2 Days, Outperforming Origins and Odyssey Launches, Ubisoft Announces

Ubisoft has celebrated another milestone for Assassin’s Creed Shadows, announcing that the game has attracted 2 million players since its launch on March 20. This impressive figure marks an increase from the 1 million players it achieved on its first day. Ubisoft highlighted that this number surpasses the launch performance of both Assassin’s Creed Origins and Odyssey, expressing gratitude to fans for joining the journey in Feudal Japan.

Despite this success, Ubisoft has not yet disclosed specific sales figures for Assassin’s Creed Shadows. However, the game is currently the top-selling title on Steam, where Ubisoft has recently resumed launches after a period of exclusivity on the Epic Games Store. At the time of writing, Assassin’s Creed Shadows had reached 58,894 concurrent players on Steam, placing it in the top 30 most-played games on Valve’s platform. Analysts anticipate that this peak will rise further over the game's opening weekend.

For context, Assassin’s Creed Origins peaked at 41,551 concurrent players on Steam over seven years ago, while Odyssey reached 62,069. Given these numbers, it’s likely that Shadows will soon claim the title of the most-played Assassin’s Creed game on Steam.

In addition to its performance on Steam, Assassin’s Creed Shadows launched on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S, though player numbers on these platforms remain undisclosed by Sony and Microsoft.

The success of Assassin’s Creed Shadows comes at a crucial time for Ubisoft, following multiple delays and the disappointing sales of last year’s Star Wars Outlaws. The company faced significant challenges, including high-profile flops, layoffs, studio closures, and game cancellations, which have put pressure on Shadows to perform well globally. Amid these struggles, the Guillemot family and Ubisoft's largest shareholder have reportedly been in discussions with Tencent and other investors about a potential buyout to maintain control of the company.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows has not been without controversy, particularly in Japan. This week, Ubisoft released a day-one patch addressing concerns raised by some Japanese politicians about the representation of temples and shrines in the game. Notably, Japanese politician Hiroyuki Kada brought up the issue in an official government meeting, prompting a response from Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.

On Steam, Assassin’s Creed Shadows has received 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 existing systems to create one of the best open-world experiences in the franchise.

For those exploring feudal Japan in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, IGN offers a comprehensive guide, including a walkthrough, an interactive map, and insights into key aspects the game doesn’t explicitly cover.

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