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

Ubisoft's latest installment in the iconic franchise, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, has made a remarkable debut, surpassing 1 million players on its launch day. Released on March 20 across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S, the game quickly gained traction, with Ubisoft announcing the milestone before 4pm in Canada. The company expressed heartfelt gratitude to the community, 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 the 1 million player mark is a significant achievement, it's challenging to fully assess the game's success without specific sales figures or targets from Ubisoft. However, Assassin’s Creed Shadows is currently the top-selling video game on Steam globally, indicating strong revenue performance on Valve's platform. Early data from Steam shows a peak concurrent player count of 41,412 on launch day, with expectations of growth over the game's first weekend. A clearer picture of its performance on Steam will emerge 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 players on the same platform.

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

Moreover, Assassin’s Creed Shadows has not been without controversy, particularly in Japan. Ubisoft released a day-one patch addressing concerns raised by some Japanese politicians about the depiction of in-game temples and shrines. This issue was even discussed in an official government meeting between Japanese politician Hiroyuki Kada and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.

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On Steam, Assassin’s Creed Shadows has received a 'very positive' user review rating, with 82% of nearly 4,000 reviews being positive. IGN's review awarded the game an 8/10, praising it for refining the open-world experience Ubisoft has been developing over the past decade: "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 that would allow them to retain control of the company.