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

Ubisoft announced that Assassin’s Creed Shadows achieved over 1 million players on its launch day, March 20. The game, available on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S, reached this milestone 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!" Ubisoft exclaimed, expressing gratitude to players for joining the adventure in Feudal Japan.

While hitting 1 million players on launch day is impressive, it's challenging to measure the game's success without specific sales figures or targets from Ubisoft. However, Assassin’s Creed Shadows is currently the top-selling video game globally on Steam, based on Valve’s revenue chart, indicating strong financial performance on the platform.

On Steam, Assassin’s Creed Shadows reached a peak concurrent player count of 41,412 on its launch day. Released on a Thursday, the game is expected to see increased player numbers over its first weekend. We'll have a clearer view of its performance on Steam in the coming weeks. Neither Sony nor Microsoft disclose player numbers publicly.

For comparison, BioWare’s Dragon Age: The Veilguard, launched on Steam on October 31, 2024, saw a peak of 70,414 players.

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There is significant pressure on Assassin's Creed Shadows to succeed globally for Ubisoft, especially following delays and the sales disappointment of last year's Star Wars Outlaws. Ubisoft has faced several challenges, including high-profile flops, layoffs, studio closures, and game cancellations leading up to the release of Assassin's Creed Shadows.

The game has also faced controversies, particularly in Japan. IGN reported that Ubisoft released a day-one patch for Assassin’s Creed Shadows that made significant changes, seemingly in response to concerns from some Japanese politicians about in-game representations of temples and shrines. This issue was raised by Japanese politician Hiroyuki Kada in an official government meeting, with a response from Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.

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On Steam, Assassin's Creed Shadows has been well-received, 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 existing systems and creating one of the best open-world experiences in the series.

Amidst these developments, reports suggest that Ubisoft’s founding Guillemot family and largest shareholder are in discussions with Tencent and other investors regarding a potential buyout that would allow them to retain control.