Don't Compare Assassin's Creed Shadows' Launch to the 'Perfect Storm' Valhalla Benefitted From, Ubisoft Internal Email Says, Compare It to Origins, Odyssey, and Mirage

The pressure is immense on Assassin's Creed Shadows to succeed for Ubisoft globally, especially following a series of delays and the disappointing sales of last year's Star Wars Outlaws. Ubisoft has faced a challenging period marked by high-profile flops, layoffs, studio closures, and game cancellations leading up to the release of Assassin's Creed Shadows. The situation has escalated to the point where the Guillemot family, founders of Ubisoft, are reportedly exploring discussions with Chinese mega-corp Tencent and other investors about a buyout deal that would allow them to maintain control over the company's intellectual property.

With the gaming community's eyes fixed on Assassin's Creed Shadows, Ubisoft has yet to release official sales figures. However, they have announced that the game reached 2 million players within just two days of its launch, outperforming the initial player counts of both Origins and Odyssey.

Attention is also focused on Shadows' concurrent player numbers on Steam, which are being benchmarked against other recently released triple-A single-player games and previous entries in the Assassin's Creed series. Over the weekend, Shadows achieved a record for the franchise on Steam, with a peak of 64,825 concurrent players, making it the most-played Assassin's Creed game ever on the platform. It's important to note, however, that Shadows was the first in the series to launch day-one on Steam. In comparison, BioWare's single-player RPG Dragon Age: The Veilguard reached a peak of 89,418 players on Steam.

Determining whether Shadows is meeting Ubisoft's expectations is challenging without knowing the specific benchmarks set by the company. However, insights from an internal Ubisoft email, reviewed by IGN, shed light on the game's performance over its first weekend.

Shadows secured the second-highest day-one sales revenue in the franchise's history, surpassed only by Valhalla in 2020, which benefited from launching across multiple console generations and the surge in stay-at-home gaming during the pandemic. Additionally, Shadows achieved Ubisoft's best-ever day-one launch on the PlayStation Store, indicating strong performance on the PS5.

The Complete Assassin's Creed Timeline

25 Images

Regarding PC performance, 27% of Shadows' total "activations" were on PC, with Steam playing a "major role" according to Ubisoft's internal communications. While exact sell-through numbers remain undisclosed, Ubisoft views these early results as a strong validation of their decision to return to the Steam platform.

Ubisoft has emphasized high player engagement, with "record levels" of interaction and "incredibly positive" feedback on moderated, verified platforms, which are less susceptible to review bombing. Shadows was also the most-wishlisted Ubisoft game of all time and is outperforming other Assassin's Creed titles on Twitch, including Valhalla.

Internal communications from Ubisoft provide context for comparisons between Shadows' launch and other franchise entries. While Shadows did not match Valhalla's launch performance, Ubisoft argues that such comparisons are unfair due to the unique circumstances surrounding Valhalla's release during the global pandemic and the launch of new console hardware. Instead, Ubisoft suggests comparing Shadows to games like Origins, Odyssey, and Mirage, which were released under more typical conditions. In this context, Shadows is setting new benchmarks.

What's Your Game of The Year 2025 So Far?

Pick a winner

New duel1ST2ND3RDSee your ResultsFinish playing for your personal results or see the community’s!Continue playingSee results

Ubisoft also highlighted that Shadows was released in March, deviating from the typical Assassin's Creed release schedule just before the U.S. Thanksgiving window, which usually boosts sales. Additionally, Ubisoft chose not to offer an early access period for Shadows, a strategy they have employed with previous games. It's also notable that Ubisoft's subscription service is now directly available on Xbox, complicating sales comparisons on Microsoft's console.

Ultimately, the financial performance of Assassin's Creed Shadows will be crucial in determining not only the game's success but also the future of Ubisoft as a company. A clearer picture of this will likely emerge with Ubisoft's next financial report in the coming months.

For those diving into the world of feudal Japan with Assassin's Creed Shadows, be sure to check out our comprehensive guide, including our Assassin's Creed Shadows walkthrough, our detailed Assassin's Creed Shadows Interactive Map, and our guide to all the crucial details Assassin's Creed Shadows doesn’t tell you.