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The stakes are incredibly high for Ubisoft with the launch of Assassin's Creed Shadows, especially following a series of setbacks including the disappointing sales of Star Wars Outlaws last year. Ubisoft has faced numerous challenges, including high-profile flops, layoffs, studio closures, and game cancellations leading up to the release of Shadows.
The situation has become so dire that the Guillemot family, Ubisoft's founders, are reportedly in discussions with Tencent and other investors about a potential buyout. This move would allow them to retain control over the company's intellectual property, indicating the severity of Ubisoft's current financial and strategic challenges.
As a result, the gaming industry is closely monitoring the early performance of Assassin's Creed Shadows to gauge its impact. While Ubisoft has not released specific sales figures, they announced that the game reached 2 million players within just two days of its launch, surpassing the initial player counts of both Origins and Odyssey.
There's also significant attention on Shadows' performance on Steam, where it set a new record for the Assassin's Creed series with a peak of 64,825 concurrent players over the weekend. This marks the first time an Assassin's Creed game launched on Steam on day one. For context, Dragon Age: The Veilguard by BioWare achieved a peak of 89,418 players on the platform.
Determining whether Shadows meets, exceeds, or falls short of Ubisoft's expectations is challenging without knowing those expectations. However, insights from an internal Ubisoft email reviewed by IGN provide a clearer picture of the game's initial performance.
According to the internal data, Shadows achieved the second-highest day-one sales revenue in the franchise's history, only behind Valhalla from 2020, which benefited from the unique circumstances of the global pandemic and next-gen console launches. Additionally, Shadows had the best day-one launch on the PlayStation Store, indicating strong performance on PS5.
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On PC, Shadows saw 27% of its total activations, with Ubisoft crediting Steam for playing a "major role" in its success on the platform. The company highlights strong player engagement and positive feedback across moderated platforms, noting that Shadows was the most-wishlisted Ubisoft game ever and is performing better on Twitch than any previous Assassin's Creed title, including Valhalla.
Ubisoft's internal communication also addresses comparisons between Shadows and other franchise entries. While Shadows did not match Valhalla's launch success, Ubisoft argues that such a comparison is unfair due to Valhalla's unique circumstances during the global pandemic and next-gen console launches. Instead, Ubisoft suggests comparing Shadows to games like Origins, Odyssey, and Mirage, which were released under more typical conditions. In this context, Shadows sets a new benchmark for the franchise.
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Ubisoft also pointed out that Shadows released in March, deviating from the typical pre-Thanksgiving launch window that historically boosts sales. Moreover, Ubisoft did not offer an early access period for Shadows, and their subscription service is now directly available on Xbox, which could affect sales comparisons on Microsoft's console.
Ultimately, the financial success of Assassin's Creed Shadows will be a critical factor for Ubisoft's future. While player numbers and engagement are encouraging, the revenue generated will be the deciding factor. A clearer picture of this will likely emerge in Ubisoft's upcoming financial reports.
For those embarking on the adventure through feudal Japan, check out our comprehensive Assassin's Creed Shadows guide, including our walkthrough, interactive map, and insights into crucial details the game doesn't explicitly mention.
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