Ubisoft's latest installment in the iconic Assassin's Creed series, Assassin's Creed Shadows, has achieved a remarkable milestone by attracting over 3 million players within just seven days of its launch on May 20. This impressive figure marks a significant increase from the 2 million players reported on the second day of its release, surpassing the initial launches of both Origins and Odyssey.
Ubisoft shared additional statistics, which had been previously highlighted by IGN's coverage of an internal company email. The email positioned Shadows' opening weekend performance as stronger than that of Origins and Odyssey, yet not on par with the exceptional launch of Valhalla in 2020, described as a "perfect storm."
Shadows achieved the second highest day one sales revenue in the history of the Assassin's Creed franchise, only trailing behind Valhalla. It also set a record as Ubisoft's biggest day one launch ever on the PlayStation Store. To date, the game has accumulated over 40 million hours of playtime.
The release of Assassin's Creed Shadows comes at a critical time for Ubisoft, following a series of delays and the disappointing sales of Star Wars Outlaws last year. The company has faced significant challenges, including high-profile flops, layoffs, studio closures, and game cancellations leading up to the launch of Shadows. Amid these struggles, the Guillemot family, Ubisoft's founders, reportedly considered a buyout deal with investors like Tencent to maintain control of the company's intellectual property. Consequently, the gaming community is closely monitoring Shadows' performance as an indicator of Ubisoft's future trajectory.
On Steam, Shadows achieved a new record for the Assassin's Creed series, reaching a peak of 64,825 concurrent players over the weekend. This is noteworthy as it was the first game in the series to launch directly on Steam since Odyssey in 2018. In comparison, Dragon Age: The Veilguard by BioWare saw a peak of 89,418 players on the platform.
Determining whether Shadows meets, exceeds, or falls short of Ubisoft's expectations remains challenging without specific data on those expectations or detailed revenue and sales figures. Ultimately, the financial performance of Assassin's Creed Shadows will be crucial not only for the game itself but also for Ubisoft's overall standing. A clearer financial picture is expected to emerge with Ubisoft's upcoming financial report.
For those eager to explore the world of Assassin's Creed Shadows set in feudal Japan, IGN offers an extensive Assassin's Creed Shadows guide, a detailed Assassin's Creed Shadows walkthrough, an Assassin's Creed Shadows Interactive Map, and insights into the things Assassin’s Creed Shadows doesn’t tell you.
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