Ubisoft's latest release, *Assassin's Creed Shadows*, achieved a remarkable milestone by surpassing 1 million players on its launch day. The game, which hit the shelves for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S on March 20, saw this impressive player count even before 4pm in Canada. Ubisoft shared their excitement 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 significant accomplishment, gauging the full extent of the game's success is challenging without specific sales figures or targets from Ubisoft. However, *Assassin's Creed Shadows* is currently the top-selling video game globally on Steam, indicating strong revenue performance on Valve's platform. On its launch day, the game peaked at 41,412 concurrent players on Steam. Given its Thursday release, these numbers are expected to increase over the weekend, providing a clearer picture of its performance in the coming weeks. It's worth noting that neither Sony nor Microsoft disclose player numbers publicly.

For comparison, BioWare's single-player RPG *Dragon Age: The Veilguard*, which launched on Steam on October 31, 2024, achieved a peak of 70,414 concurrent players.

The Complete Assassin's Creed Timeline

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*Assassin's Creed Shadows* faces substantial pressure to succeed globally for Ubisoft, especially following delays and the commercial underperformance of last year's *Star Wars Outlaws*. Ubisoft has encountered several challenges recently, including high-profile flops, layoffs, studio closures, and game cancellations leading up to the release of *Assassin's Creed Shadows*.

The game has also been at the center of controversies, particularly in Japan. IGN confirmed that Ubisoft released a day-one patch for *Assassin's Creed Shadows* that addressed concerns raised by some Japanese politicians regarding in-game temples and shrines. This issue was even discussed in an official government meeting, with Japanese politician Hiroyuki Kada and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba addressing it.

Assassin's Creed Shadows - Early Skills Tier List

On Steam, *Assassin's Creed Shadows* is receiving positive feedback, with a 'very positive' user review rating and 82% of nearly 4,000 user reviews marked as positive. IGN's review of *Assassin's Creed Shadows* awarded it an 8/10, praising the game for refining its existing systems to create one of the best open-world experiences in the franchise's history.

Amidst these developments, reports indicate that Ubisoft's founding Guillemot family and largest shareholder are in talks with Tencent and other investors about a potential buyout deal that would allow them to retain control.