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

Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Ubisoft's latest installment in the iconic series, achieved a remarkable milestone by surpassing 1 million players on its launch day, March 20. Released on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S, the game quickly garnered attention, with Ubisoft proudly announcing the achievement before 4pm in Canada via social media. "It's not even 4pm here in Canada and Assassin's Creed Shadows has already passed 1 million players!" they exclaimed, expressing their gratitude and excitement about embarking on this journey set in Feudal Japan with their community.

While reaching 1 million players is a significant accomplishment, the absence of specific sales figures and targets from Ubisoft makes it challenging to fully assess the game's success. However, on Steam, Assassin’s Creed Shadows currently tops the charts as the best-selling video game globally, indicating robust revenue generation on the platform. Early Steam data reveals that the game hit a peak concurrent player count of 41,412 on its launch day. Given its Thursday release, it's anticipated that these numbers will surge over the weekend, providing a clearer picture of its performance in the coming weeks. Neither Sony nor Microsoft disclose player numbers, leaving Steam as the primary source for such data.

For comparison, BioWare’s single-player RPG, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, launched on Steam on October 31, 2024, and achieved a peak of 70,414 players, showcasing the competitive landscape within the gaming industry.

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The release of Assassin’s Creed Shadows comes at a critical time for Ubisoft, following delays and the disappointing sales of last year's Star Wars Outlaws. The company has faced several challenges, including high-profile flops, layoffs, studio closures, and game cancellations, adding pressure on Assassin’s Creed Shadows to perform well globally.

The game has not been without controversy, particularly in Japan, where IGN reported that Ubisoft released a day-one patch addressing concerns from Japanese politicians about the depiction of in-game temples and shrines. This issue was even raised in an official government meeting by Hiroyuki Kada, a member of Japan's House of Councillors, prompting a response from Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.

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Despite these challenges, Assassin’s Creed Shadows is receiving positive feedback on Steam, earning a 'very positive' user review rating, with 82% of nearly 4,000 reviews being positive. IGN's review of the game awarded it an 8/10, praising it for refining the existing systems and delivering one of the best open-world experiences in the series to date.

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, aiming to maintain control over the company.