Ubisoft: Assassin's Creed Shadows Hits 2M Players in 48 Hours

Ubisoft has celebrated another player milestone for Assassin’s Creed Shadows, though the company has not yet disclosed specific sales figures for the title.

In a social media update, Ubisoft announced that Shadows has reached 2 million players since its launch on March 20, building on the 1 million players it attracted on its first day.

This achievement surpasses the initial launch performance of both Assassin’s Creed Origins and Odyssey, the publisher noted. "Thank you for embarking on this journey through Feudal Japan!"

This marks a strong start for Assassin’s Creed Shadows. However, it's important to note that Ubisoft has not released official sales data. We do know the game is currently the top seller on Steam, a platform Ubisoft recently rejoined after years of launching PC titles exclusively on the Epic Games Store.

As of this article's publication, Assassin’s Creed Shadows had 58,894 concurrent players on Steam, placing it within the top 30 most-played games on Valve's platform. This player count is expected to grow throughout the game's opening weekend.

For context, Origins achieved an all-time peak of 41,551 concurrent players on Steam over seven years ago, while Odyssey peaked at 62,069. Shadows is poised to potentially become the most-played Assassin's Creed title on Steam by the end of the weekend.

BioWare's single-player RPG, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, launched on Steam on October 31, 2024, and reached a peak of 89,418 concurrent players.

The true concurrent player peak for Assassin’s Creed Shadows will be significantly higher, given its simultaneous launch on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. Neither Sony nor Microsoft publicly share their platform-specific player numbers.

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Assassin's Creed Shadows carries significant weight for Ubisoft's global performance, following multiple delays and the commercial disappointment of last year’s Star Wars Outlaws. The period leading up to Shadows' release was marked by several high-profile failures, layoffs, studio closures, and game cancellations at Ubisoft. The situation became so challenging that the founding Guillemot family, the company's largest shareholder, is reportedly in discussions with Chinese conglomerate Tencent and other investors regarding a buyout deal to maintain control.

Assassin's Creed Shadows has also faced its share of controversies, particularly in Japan. This week, IGN confirmed that Ubisoft quietly released a day-one patch for the game, implementing several important changes that appear to address concerns raised by some Japanese politicians regarding the depiction of in-game temples and shrines.

In a notable development this week, Japanese politician Hiroyuki Kada, a member of the House of Councillors, raised the issue of Assassin’s Creed Shadows during an official government meeting, prompting a response from Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.

On Steam, at least, Assassin's Creed Shadows is receiving a warm welcome from players. It holds a 'Very Positive' user review rating, with 81% of over 6,000 reviews marked as positive. IGN’s Assassin’s Creed Shadows review scored the game an 8/10. Our verdict stated: "By refining its established systems, Assassin’s Creed Shadows delivers one of the finest iterations of the open-world formula it has been perfecting for the past decade."

Exploring feudal Japan? Consult our comprehensive Assassin's Creed Shadows guide, which includes our walkthrough, a detailed interactive map, and a guide to all the essential tips the game doesn't tell you.