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

Ubisoft announced that *Assassin’s Creed Shadows* surpassed 1 million players on its launch day. The game was released on March 20 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S, and by just before 4pm in Canada, Ubisoft took to social media to celebrate the milestone. "It's not even 4pm here in Canada and Assassin's Creed Shadows has already passed 1 million players!" Ubisoft stated. They expressed their gratitude, saying, "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 reaching 1 million players on launch day is a significant achievement, gauging the game's overall success remains challenging without specific sales figures or targets from Ubisoft. However, *Assassin’s Creed Shadows* currently holds the top spot as the best-selling video game on Steam, based on Valve’s revenue charts. Early data from Steam also shows that the game achieved a peak concurrent player count of 41,412 on its launch day. Given that the game was released on a Thursday, expectations are high that these numbers will increase over the weekend. A clearer picture of its performance on Steam will emerge in the coming weeks. Neither Sony nor Microsoft disclose player numbers publicly.

For comparison, BioWare's single-player RPG *Dragon Age: The Veilguard*, launched on Steam on October 31, 2024, reached a peak of 70,414 players.

The Complete Assassin's Creed Timeline

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*Assassin’s Creed Shadows* faces immense pressure to perform well globally for Ubisoft, following several delays and the disappointing sales of last year's *Star Wars Outlaws*. Ubisoft has encountered numerous challenges recently, including high-profile flops, layoffs, studio closures, and game cancellations leading up to the release of *Assassin’s Creed Shadows*.

The game has also been embroiled in controversies, particularly in Japan. IGN confirmed that Ubisoft released a day-one patch for *Assassin’s Creed Shadows* to address concerns raised by some Japanese politicians about in-game temples and shrines. In a notable exchange, Japanese politician Hiroyuki Kada discussed *Assassin’s Creed Shadows* in an official government meeting, prompting a response from Japan's Prime Minister, Shigeru Ishiba.

Assassin's Creed Shadows - Early Skills Tier List

On Steam, *Assassin’s Creed Shadows* is receiving positive feedback from players, boasting a 'very positive' user review rating with 82% of nearly 4,000 reviews being positive. IGN’s review of the game awarded it an 8/10, stating, "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 its largest shareholder are exploring talks with Tencent and other investors for a buyout deal that would allow them to retain control.