Ubisoft has announced that Assassin’s Creed Shadows attracted over 1 million players on its launch day. The game, which debuted on March 20 across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S, achieved this milestone before 4pm in Canada. Ubisoft celebrated this achievement on social media, stating, "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 launch day is a notable accomplishment, gauging the game's success remains challenging without specific sales figures or targets from Ubisoft. However, Assassin’s Creed Shadows currently tops the global sales chart on Steam, indicating it is generating more revenue than any other game on the platform. On its launch day, the game also achieved a peak concurrent player count of 41,412 on Steam. Given that the game was released on a Thursday, these numbers are expected to increase over the weekend, providing a clearer picture of its performance in the coming weeks. Neither Sony nor Microsoft publicly disclose player numbers for comparison.

For context, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, a single-player RPG by BioWare, launched on Steam on October 31, 2024, and saw a peak of 70,414 players on the same platform.

The Complete Assassin's Creed Timeline

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Assassin's Creed Shadows faces significant global expectations following Ubisoft's recent challenges, including delays and the commercial underperformance of Star Wars Outlaws. Ubisoft has also experienced several high-profile flops, layoffs, studio closures, and game cancellations leading up to the release of Assassin's Creed Shadows.

The game has not been without controversy, particularly in Japan. IGN confirmed that Ubisoft released a day-one patch for Assassin’s Creed Shadows addressing concerns raised by some Japanese politicians regarding in-game representations of temples and shrines. This issue was notably discussed in an official government meeting, where Japanese politician Hiroyuki Kada raised concerns, and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba responded.

Assassin's Creed Shadows - Early Skills Tier List

Assassin's Creed Shadows - Early Skills Tier List

On Steam, Assassin's Creed Shadows has received a 'very positive' user review rating, with 82% of nearly 4,000 reviews being positive. IGN's review of the game scored it an 8/10, praising it as "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."

Amidst these developments, reports suggest that Ubisoft's founding Guillemot family and largest shareholder are in discussions with Tencent and other investors regarding a potential buyout deal to maintain control of the company.