Ubisoft's latest installment in the iconic franchise, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, achieved a remarkable milestone by surpassing 1 million players on its launch day, March 20. The game, available on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S, reached this impressive figure before 4pm in Canada, as announced by Ubisoft on social media.

"It's not even 4pm here in Canada and Assassin's Creed Shadows has already passed 1 million players!" Ubisoft celebrated. "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 hitting 1 million players is a significant achievement, the true measure of success remains elusive without specific sales figures or targets from Ubisoft. However, Assassin’s Creed Shadows currently tops the global sales chart on Steam, indicating strong revenue performance on Valve's platform.

Early data from Steam shows a peak concurrent player count of 41,412 for Assassin’s Creed Shadows on its launch day. Given the Thursday release, these numbers are expected to rise over the weekend, providing a clearer picture of its performance in the coming weeks. Notably, neither Sony nor Microsoft disclose player numbers publicly.

For comparison, BioWare’s Dragon Age: The Veilguard, launched on Steam on October 31, 2024, achieved a peak of 70,414 players.

The Complete Assassin's Creed Timeline

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The success of Assassin’s Creed Shadows is crucial for Ubisoft, especially following the delays and the underwhelming sales of Star Wars Outlaws last year. The company has faced several challenges, including high-profile flops, layoffs, studio closures, and game cancellations leading up to this release.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows has not been without controversy, particularly in Japan. In response to concerns from Japanese politicians about in-game representations of temples and shrines, Ubisoft released a day-one patch addressing these issues. This move followed an official government meeting where the game was discussed by Hiroyuki Kada, a member of the House of Councillors of Japan, and Shigeru Ishiba, the Prime Minister of Japan.

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On Steam, Assassin’s Creed Shadows has been well-received, earning a 'very positive' user review rating with 82% of nearly 4,000 reviews being positive. IGN's review scored the game an 8/10, stating, "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 about a potential buyout deal to maintain control over the company.