Assassin's Creed Shadows faces immense global pressure to succeed for Ubisoft, following multiple delays and the underwhelming sales of last year's Star Wars Outlaws. Ubisoft has been grappling with a series of setbacks, including high-profile flops, layoffs, studio closures, and game cancellations leading up to the release of Shadows.
The situation at Ubisoft has become so dire that the founding Guillemot family is reportedly exploring talks with Chinese mega-corp Tencent and other investors about a potential buyout deal. This move aims to retain control over the company's intellectual property.
The gaming community is keenly observing Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ early performance as an indicator of its success or failure. Ubisoft has not yet released specific sales figures, but they announced that Shadows reached 2 million players just two days post-launch, outstripping the initial performance of both Origins and Odyssey.
There is also significant attention on Shadows’ concurrent player numbers on Steam, which are being benchmarked against other recent triple-A single-player titles and previous Assassin’s Creed releases. Over the weekend, Shadows achieved the highest peak concurrent player count for the series on Steam at 64,825, although it was the first to launch day-one on the platform. For comparison, BioWare’s Dragon Age: The Veilguard peaked at 89,418 players on Steam.
Assessing whether Shadows meets, exceeds, or falls short of Ubisoft’s expectations is challenging without knowing the company's specific targets. However, insights from an internal email, reviewed by IGN, provide a clearer picture of the game’s performance over its first weekend.
Shadows achieved the second-highest day-one sales revenue in the franchise’s history, only surpassed by 2020's Valhalla, which benefited from pandemic-induced stay-at-home gaming and a multi-generational console launch. Furthermore, Shadows recorded Ubisoft’s best-ever day-one launch on the PlayStation Store, indicating strong performance on the PS5.
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On the PC front, where Shadows was released on both Steam and Ubisoft’s digital store, 27% of total “activations” occurred on PC. Ubisoft credits Steam for playing a "major role" in Shadows’ PC performance, though exact sell-through numbers remain undisclosed. The company is touting early results as a "strong validation" of their decision to return to the Steam platform.
Ubisoft is emphasizing high player engagement, which they claim is at "record levels," and positive feedback from moderated, verified platforms, less susceptible to review bombing. Shadows also set a record as the most-wishlisted Ubisoft game ever and is outperforming all other Assassin’s Creed titles on Twitch, including Valhalla.
Internal communications from Ubisoft contextualize comparisons between Shadows and other franchise entries. While Shadows did not match Valhalla’s launch success, Ubisoft argues that Valhalla benefited from unique circumstances, such as the global pandemic and new console launches. Instead, Ubisoft suggests comparing Shadows to games like Origins, Odyssey, and Mirage, released during more typical cycles, where Shadows is setting new benchmarks.
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Ubisoft highlighted that Shadows launched in March, deviating from the usual pre-Thanksgiving release window that traditionally boosts sales. Additionally, Ubisoft did not offer an early access period for Shadows, which is typically an additional revenue stream. The availability of Ubisoft’s subscription service directly on Xbox further complicates sales comparisons on Microsoft’s console.
Ultimately, the financial success of Assassin’s Creed Shadows will be pivotal for both the game and Ubisoft’s future. Clear insights into its revenue performance may only emerge with Ubisoft's upcoming financial report in the coming months.
For those embarking on adventures through feudal Japan, dive into our comprehensive Assassin's Creed Shadows guide, including our Assassin's Creed Shadows walkthrough, our detailed Assassin's Creed Shadows Interactive Map, and our guide to all the crucial things Assassin’s Creed Shadows doesn’t tell you.
