Ubisoft has celebrated another milestone for Assassin’s Creed Shadows, announcing that the game has reached 2 million players since its release on March 20. This impressive number marks a significant increase from the 1 million players on its launch day. Ubisoft proudly stated that this surpasses the initial player counts of both Assassin’s Creed Origins and Odyssey, emphasizing the warm reception to the game's setting in Feudal Japan.
However, Ubisoft has yet to disclose specific sales figures for Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Despite this, the game has quickly become the top-selling title on Steam, following Ubisoft's recent return to the platform after a period of exclusivity on the Epic Games Store. At the time of writing, Assassin’s Creed Shadows boasted 58,894 concurrent players on Steam, securing its place among the top 30 most-played games on Valve’s platform. It is anticipated that this peak will rise further over the game's opening weekend.
For context, Assassin’s Creed Origins reached a peak of 41,551 concurrent players on Steam, while Odyssey hit 62,069. Given these figures, it seems likely that Assassin’s Creed Shadows will soon claim the title of the most-played Assassin’s Creed game on Steam.
The true peak player count for Assassin’s Creed Shadows is expected to be even higher, considering its simultaneous launch on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S, though neither Sony nor Microsoft share player numbers publicly.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows arrives under significant pressure for Ubisoft, following multiple delays and the underwhelming sales of last year’s Star Wars Outlaws. Ubisoft has faced numerous challenges, including high-profile flops, layoffs, studio closures, and game cancellations, leading up to this release. The situation became so dire that the Guillemot family, Ubisoft's founders and largest shareholders, are reportedly in discussions with Tencent and other investors about a potential buyout to maintain control.
The game itself has not been without controversy, particularly in Japan. Ubisoft quietly released a day-one patch addressing concerns from Japanese politicians about the depiction of temples and shrines. In a notable development, Japanese politician Hiroyuki Kada brought up Assassin’s Creed Shadows in a government meeting, prompting a response from Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.
On Steam, Assassin’s Creed Shadows has received a 'very positive' user review rating, with 81% of over 6,000 reviews being positive. IGN's review awarded the game an 8/10, praising it for refining the open-world formula Ubisoft has been perfecting over the past decade.
For those eager to explore the world of Assassin’s Creed Shadows set in Feudal Japan, IGN offers a comprehensive guide, including a walkthrough, an interactive map, and insights into aspects the game doesn’t explicitly cover.
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