The pressure is immense on Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed Shadows to succeed globally, especially following the delays and sales disappointment of last year's Star Wars Outlaws. Ubisoft has faced a series of challenges, including high-profile flops, layoffs, studio closures, and game cancellations leading up to Shadows' release. The situation has become so dire that the Guillemot family, founders of Ubisoft, are reportedly exploring talks with Chinese mega-corp Tencent and other investors for a potential buyout that would allow them to retain control of the company's intellectual property.

The gaming community is keenly observing Assassin's Creed Shadows' initial performance as an indicator of its success or failure. Although Ubisoft has not yet disclosed specific sales figures, they announced that Shadows reached 2 million players within just two days of its launch, outperforming the launches of Origins and Odyssey.

There is also significant focus on Shadows' performance on Steam, where it achieved a peak of 64,825 concurrent players, making it the most-played Assassin's Creed game ever on the platform. This is noteworthy as it was the first in the series to launch on Steam day-one. Comparatively, Dragon Age: The Veilguard by BioWare peaked at 89,418 players on the same platform.

Without knowing Ubisoft's specific expectations, it's challenging to gauge whether Shadows is underperforming, meeting, or exceeding them. However, an internal email reviewed by IGN, shared by a source within Ubisoft, provides insights into the game's first weekend performance.

Shadows achieved the second-highest day-one sales revenue in the franchise's history, only surpassed by Valhalla in 2020, which benefited from the stay-at-home gaming trend during the pandemic and launched across multiple console generations. Additionally, Shadows had 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 launched on both Steam and Ubisoft's digital store, 27% of total activations were on PC. Ubisoft credits Steam for playing a "major role" in the game's PC performance, though exact sell-through numbers remain undisclosed. The company describes early results as a strong validation of their decision to return to Steam.

Ubisoft is emphasizing player engagement, which is at "record levels," and reports that "feedback across moderated, verified platforms — those less affected by review bombing — remains incredibly positive." Shadows was also the most-wishlisted Ubisoft game of all time and has outperformed any other Assassin's Creed game on Twitch, including Valhalla.

Ubisoft's internal communications offer context on comparisons between Shadows' launch and other franchise titles. They note that Shadows isn't performing as well as Valhalla did at launch, but argue it's unfair to compare the two due to Valhalla's unique circumstances. Valhalla launched amidst a global pandemic, widespread lockdowns, and the release of new console hardware. Ubisoft suggests comparing Shadows to more typical releases like Origins, Odyssey, and Mirage, against which Shadows sets a new standard.

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Ubisoft also highlighted that Shadows was released in March, deviating from the typical pre-Thanksgiving launch window that boosts sales. They also eliminated the early access period they usually charge for, and their subscription service is now available directly on Xbox, complicating sales comparisons.

Ultimately, the revenue generated by Assassin's Creed Shadows will be crucial for both the game's success and Ubisoft's future. A clearer financial picture will likely emerge with Ubisoft's next financial report in the coming months.

For those embarking on adventures in feudal Japan, our comprehensive Assassin's Creed Shadows guide, including the Assassin's Creed Shadows walkthrough, an interactive map, and insights into what the game doesn't explicitly tell you, awaits to enhance your experience.