Ubisoft Urges Comparison of Assassin's Creed Shadows to Origins, Odyssey, Mirage, Not Valhalla

Assassin's Creed Shadows faces immense pressure to succeed globally for Ubisoft, especially after the delays and disappointing sales of last year's Star Wars Outlaws. Ubisoft has been grappling with a series of high-profile flops, layoffs, studio closures, and game cancellations leading up to Shadows' release. The situation has become dire enough that the Guillemot family, founders of Ubisoft, are reportedly exploring talks with Chinese mega-corp Tencent and other investors on a buyout deal to retain control of the company's intellectual property.

The gaming industry is keenly observing Assassin’s Creed Shadows' early performance as a potential indicator of Ubisoft's future. While Ubisoft has not yet released official sales figures, they announced that Shadows reached 2 million players just two days post-launch, outpacing the initial performance of both Origins and Odyssey.

There is also significant interest in Shadows' Steam concurrent player numbers, which are being compared not only to other recent triple-A single-player titles but also to previous Assassin’s Creed entries on Valve’s platform. Over the weekend, Shadows achieved the highest peak concurrent players for any Assassin's Creed game on Steam with 64,825 players, though it was the first in the series to launch on day one on the platform. For comparison, BioWare’s single-player RPG Dragon Age: The Veilguard peaked at 89,418 players on Steam.

Determining whether Shadows meets, exceeds, or falls short of Ubisoft’s expectations is challenging without knowing the specific targets. However, insights from an internal Ubisoft email, reviewed by IGN, shed light on the game’s performance over its first weekend.

Shadows achieved the second-highest day-one sales revenue in the franchise's history, only surpassed by 2020’s Valhalla, which benefited from the unique circumstances of launching during the global stay-at-home period and across multiple console generations. Additionally, Shadows marked 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 own digital store, 27% of total "activations" were on PC. Ubisoft credits Steam with playing a "major role" in Shadows' PC performance, though exact sell-through numbers remain undisclosed. Ubisoft's internal communications highlight that early results validate their decision to return to the Steam platform.

Ubisoft emphasizes high player engagement, which is at "record levels," and notes that "feedback across moderated, verified platforms — those less affected by review bombing — remains incredibly positive." Shadows was the most-wishlisted Ubisoft game ever and is outperforming all other Assassin’s Creed titles on Twitch, including Valhalla.

Ubisoft's internal communications provide context for comparing Shadows' launch with other franchise entries. While Shadows did not match Valhalla's launch performance, Ubisoft argues that such a comparison is unfair due to Valhalla's unique launch conditions during the global pandemic and the release of new console hardware. Instead, Ubisoft suggests comparing Shadows to games like Origins, Odyssey, and Mirage, which were released under more typical circumstances. In this context, Shadows is setting new benchmarks.

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Ubisoft also noted that Shadows was released in March, deviating from the traditional pre-Thanksgiving launch window that typically boosts sales. Additionally, Ubisoft did not offer an early access period for Shadows, unlike with previous titles. The availability of Ubisoft's subscription service directly on Xbox further complicates sales comparisons on Microsoft’s console.

Ultimately, the financial success of Assassin's Creed Shadows will be crucial not only for the game itself but for Ubisoft's overall stability. A clearer picture of its financial impact may emerge with Ubisoft's next financial report in the coming months.

Embarking on an adventure through feudal Japan? Dive into our comprehensive Assassin's Creed Shadows guide, including our Assassin's Creed Shadows walkthrough, our detailed Assassin's Creed Shadows Interactive Map, and our guide to all the crucial things Assassin’s Creed Shadows doesn’t tell you.