"Assassin's Creed Shadows Hits 1 Million Players on Launch Day, Ubisoft Announces"

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Assassin’s Creed Shadows welcomed over 1 million players on its launch day, according to an official announcement by Ubisoft.

The game launched globally for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S on March 20. Just before 4 p.m. local time in Canada, Ubisoft shared the milestone via social media:

“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 day one is a strong indicator of initial interest, it's challenging to measure long-term success without official sales data or revenue targets from Ubisoft.

However, what we do know is that Assassin’s Creed Shadows is currently the top-selling title on Steam by revenue—meaning it's generating more income than any other game on the platform at the moment.

Looking at early player engagement, official Steam stats show that the game peaked at 41,412 concurrent players on launch day. Since the release occurred on a Thursday, there’s potential for that number to rise as players jump in over the weekend. More detailed performance metrics should emerge in the coming weeks. Unfortunately, neither Sony nor Microsoft publicly share similar player statistics for their consoles.

For context, BioWare’s single-player RPG Dragon Age: The Veilguard, which launched on Steam on October 31, 2024, reached a peak of 70,414 concurrent players on Valve’s platform.

The Complete Assassin's Creed Timeline

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There is significant pressure for Assassin’s Creed Shadows to perform well globally for Ubisoft. This comes after multiple delays and the underperformance of last year’s Star Wars Outlaws. In fact, Ubisoft has faced several setbacks recently, including high-profile commercial disappointments, layoffs, studio closures, and canceled projects leading up to this release.

The game also sparked some controversy, particularly in Japan. IGN previously reported that Ubisoft quietly rolled out a day-one patch modifying certain in-game elements—reportedly in response to concerns raised by Japanese politicians regarding the depiction of temples and shrines.

In a rare move, Japanese politician Hiroyuki Kada brought up Assassin’s Creed Shadows during an official parliamentary session, prompting a response from Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.

On Steam, player reception has been largely positive. The game holds a “very positive” review rating, with 82% of nearly 4,000 user reviews marked as favorable. IGN’s review awarded the game 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.”

Meanwhile, reports indicate that Ubisoft’s founding Guillemot family and largest shareholder are exploring potential buyout talks with Chinese tech giant Tencent and other investors. The goal? To secure financial backing while retaining creative control over the company’s future.