"Assassin's Creed Shadows Surpasses 2 Million Players in Two Days, Outperforms Origins and Odyssey"

Ubisoft has celebrated another milestone for Assassin's Creed Shadows, noting that the game has reached 2 million players since its launch on March 20. This impressive figure marks a significant increase from the 1 million players it attracted on its first day. Ubisoft highlighted that Shadows has outpaced the initial launches of both Assassin's Creed Origins and Odyssey, thanking players for embarking on the journey through Feudal Japan.

While Ubisoft has not disclosed specific sales numbers for Assassin's Creed Shadows, the game has quickly become the top-selling title on Steam. Ubisoft's return to Steam after years of exclusivity on the Epic Games Store has clearly paid off. At the time of this article's publication, Shadows boasted 58,894 concurrent players on Steam, placing it within the top 30 most-played games on the platform. As the game's opening weekend progresses, this peak is expected to rise, potentially surpassing the all-time Steam peaks of Origins (41,551) and Odyssey (62,069).

For context, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, BioWare's single-player RPG, which launched on Steam on October 31, 2024, achieved a peak of 89,418 players. It's important to note that Assassin's Creed Shadows' true concurrent peak will be higher, considering its availability on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S, though Sony and Microsoft do not release player numbers publicly.

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The success of Assassin's Creed Shadows is crucial for Ubisoft, following multiple delays and the disappointing sales of Star Wars Outlaws last year. Ubisoft has faced numerous challenges, including high-profile flops, layoffs, studio closures, and game cancellations leading up to Shadows' release. The situation became so dire that the Guillemot family, Ubisoft's founders and largest shareholders, have reportedly engaged in discussions with Tencent and other investors about a potential buyout to maintain control.

Assassin's Creed Shadows has not been without its controversies, particularly in Japan. Ubisoft released a day-one patch in response to concerns from some Japanese politicians regarding the depiction of temples and shrines in the game. This issue was even raised in an official government meeting by Hiroyuki Kada, a member of the House of Councillors, to which Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba responded.

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 the open-world style Ubisoft has developed over the past decade: "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."

For those eager to explore Feudal Japan, IGN offers a comprehensive Assassin's Creed Shadows guide, including a detailed walkthrough, an interactive map, and essential tips on what the game doesn't explicitly tell you.