"Assassin's Creed Shadows Hits 1 Million Players on Launch Day: Ubisoft"

Ubisoft's latest installment in the iconic franchise, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, achieved a significant milestone by surpassing 1 million players on its launch day. The game, which hit the shelves on March 20 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S, celebrated this achievement before 4pm in Canada. Ubisoft expressed their gratitude and 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 remarkable feat, it's challenging to fully assess the game's success without specific sales figures from Ubisoft. However, Assassin’s Creed Shadows is currently the top-selling video game on Steam globally, indicating strong revenue performance. On Steam, the game also achieved a peak concurrent player count of 41,412 on its launch day. Given its Thursday release, it's anticipated that these numbers will 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 for their platforms.

For comparison, BioWare's Dragon Age: The Veilguard, released on Steam on October 31, 2024, saw a peak of 70,414 players on the same platform.

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The release of Assassin's Creed Shadows comes at a critical time for Ubisoft, following delays and the commercial disappointment of Star Wars Outlaws last year. The company has faced numerous challenges, including high-profile flops, layoffs, studio closures, and game cancellations leading up to this launch.

Assassin's Creed Shadows has not been without controversy, particularly in Japan. IGN reported that Ubisoft released a day-one patch addressing concerns from Japanese politicians regarding the game's depiction of temples and shrines. In a notable exchange, Japanese politician Hiroyuki Kada brought up the issue in a government meeting, prompting a response from Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.

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On Steam, Assassin's Creed Shadows has been well-received by the community, earning a 'very positive' user review rating with 82% of nearly 4,000 reviews being positive. IGN's review of the game scored it an 8/10, praising it as "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 indicate that Ubisoft's founding Guillemot family and largest shareholder are in discussions with Tencent and other investors about a potential buyout that would allow them to maintain control over the company.