Ubisoft announced that Assassin’s Creed Shadows attracted over one million players on its launch day.
Released on March 20 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S, the publisher shared via social media—just before 4 p.m. Canadian time—that the game had already surpassed the one-million-player milestone.
“It's not even 4 p.m. here in Canada, and Assassin's Creed Shadows has already passed one million players!” Ubisoft stated. “From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for joining this adventure in feudal Japan. We are thrilled to begin this journey with you!”
Although reaching one million players on day one is noteworthy, it's challenging to assess the game’s overall success without official sales figures or targets from Ubisoft.
What is clear is that Assassin’s Creed Shadows currently leads as the top-selling video game globally on Steam. Since Valve ranks products by revenue, this indicates Ubisoft’s title is generating more income than any other on the platform.
Early Steam concurrent player data is also available. According to Valve's official statistics, Assassin’s Creed Shadows reached a peak of 41,412 simultaneous players on Steam during its launch day. Since the game launched on a Thursday, this number is anticipated to rise over its first weekend. More detailed performance metrics are expected in the coming weeks. Neither Sony nor Microsoft disclose player counts publicly.
For comparison, BioWare’s single-player RPG Dragon Age: The Veilguard launched on Steam on October 31, 2024, and achieved a peak of 70,414 concurrent players.
The Complete Assassin's Creed Timeline
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Assassin’s Creed Shadows faces considerable pressure to deliver strong global results for Ubisoft, especially following several delays and the commercial disappointment of last year’s Star Wars Outlaws. In the lead-up to this release, Ubisoft has also encountered several high-profile failures, layoffs, studio closures, and game cancellations.
The game has also been mired in controversies, particularly in Japan. IGN recently confirmed that Ubisoft quietly rolled out a day-one patch for Assassin’s Creed Shadows, making several significant adjustments—apparently in response to concerns raised by Japanese politicians regarding the depiction of temples and shrines.
Earlier this week, Japanese politician Hiroyuki Kada, a member of the House of Councillors, brought up the issue during an official government session, prompting a response from Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.
Assassin's Creed Shadows - Early Skills Tier List
Assassin's Creed Shadows - Early Skills Tier List
On Steam, player reception has been largely positive. The game holds a “Very Positive” user review rating, with 82% of nearly 4,000 reviews being favorable. IGN’s review scored Assassin’s Creed Shadows an 8/10, praising it as “one of the best iterations of the open-world formula Ubisoft has refined over the past decade.”
In related corporate news, Ubisoft’s founding Guillemot family—the company’s largest shareholder—reportedly continues to explore talks with Chinese conglomerate Tencent and other investors regarding a potential buyout deal that would allow them to retain control.
