A Milestone for Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Assassin’s Creed Shadows launched last week on consoles and PC, quickly surpassing two million players in just two days. According to Ubisoft, this was a stronger debut than both Origins and Odyssey.
Shadows also delivered the franchise’s second-highest Day 1 sales revenue, trailing only Valhalla (Thanks to VGC). Unlike previous entries that launched during the more profitable Thanksgiving season, the game arrived in March without the pandemic-driven sales boost that benefited Valhalla.
However, Shadows still managed to set records as Ubisoft’s best-ever Day 1 launch on the PlayStation digital. It also became the most wish-listed Ubisoft title of all time. The game also dominated Twitch, generating over 11 million hours watched, outperforming even Valhalla.
PC played a significant role in its success, accounting for around 27% of total “activations”, including purchases and Ubisoft+ downloads. Steam was a key factor, marking Ubisoft’s first major day-one release on the platform since 2019. Previously, the company focused on its own store and the Epic Games Store at launch.
Despite its success, Shadows faced several development challenges, including content leaks and multiple delays. Originally scheduled for November, it was pushed to February 14 before finally launching on March 20.
The game arrives at a crucial time for Ubisoft, following a series of underperforming releases and financial struggles. In January, the company announced plans to restructure and explore strategic opportunities to maximize the value of its assets. Reports suggest Tencent and Ubisoft’s founding Guillemot family are considering a new venture involving some of Ubisoft’s assets.