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

Ubisoft announced that Assassin’s Creed Shadows attracted over 1 million players on its launch day. The game, which hit the shelves on March 20 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S, crossed this impressive milestone before 4pm in Canada. Ubisoft expressed their gratitude on social media, stating, "It's not even 4pm here in Canada and Assassin's Creed Shadows has already passed 1 million players! 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, it's challenging to fully assess the game's success without sales figures or targets from Ubisoft. However, Assassin’s Creed Shadows is currently the top-selling video game on Steam globally, based on Valve's revenue charts. On launch day, the game achieved a peak concurrent player count of 41,412 on Steam. Given its Thursday release, it's anticipated that these numbers will increase over the weekend, providing a clearer picture of its performance in the coming weeks. It's worth noting that neither Sony nor Microsoft disclose player numbers publicly.

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

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The launch of Assassin's Creed Shadows comes at a critical time for Ubisoft, following several delays and the disappointing sales of last year's Star Wars Outlaws. Ubisoft has faced numerous challenges recently, including high-profile flops, layoffs, studio closures, and game cancellations, all leading up to the release of Assassin's Creed Shadows.

Additionally, Assassin's Creed Shadows has been embroiled in controversies, particularly in Japan. Ubisoft released a day-one patch addressing concerns from some Japanese politicians about the depiction of in-game temples and shrines. In a notable exchange, Japanese politician Hiroyuki Kada raised the issue in an official government meeting, to which Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba responded.

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On Steam, Assassin's Creed Shadows has been well-received by players, earning a 'very positive' user review rating with 82% of nearly 4,000 reviews being positive. IGN's review of Assassin’s Creed Shadows gave it an 8/10, praising it as "one of the best versions of the open-world style it’s been honing for the last decade."

Amid these developments, reports suggest that Ubisoft's founding Guillemot family and largest shareholder are exploring a buyout deal with Chinese mega-corp Tencent and other investors, aiming to maintain control of the company.