The stakes are incredibly high for Ubisoft with the launch of Assassin's Creed Shadows, especially following the disappointing sales of Star Wars Outlaws last year and a series of setbacks including high-profile flops, layoffs, studio closures, and game cancellations. The pressure is on for Assassin's Creed Shadows to perform well globally to help stabilize the company's position.
The situation at Ubisoft has escalated to the point where the Guillemot family, the company's founders, are reportedly exploring talks with Chinese mega-corp Tencent and other investors to secure a buyout deal. This would allow them to retain control over Ubisoft's valuable intellectual property.
The gaming community is keenly observing the initial performance of Assassin's Creed Shadows to gauge its success or failure. While Ubisoft has not yet released official sales figures, they announced that Assassin's Creed Shadows reached 2 million players just two days after its launch, outpacing the initial performance of Origins and Odyssey.
Attention is also focused on Shadows' concurrent player numbers on Steam, which have been compared to other recent triple-A single-player releases and past Assassin's Creed titles. Over the launch weekend, Shadows achieved a record for the series on Steam with 64,825 peak concurrent players, though it's notable as the first game in the franchise to launch on day one on the platform. By comparison, Dragon Age: The Veilguard from BioWare peaked at 89,418 players on Steam.
Determining whether Shadows is meeting, exceeding, or falling short of Ubisoft's expectations is challenging without knowing the specific goals set by the company. However, insights from an internal email reviewed by IGN, shared by a Ubisoft source, shed light on the game's first weekend performance.
According to the internal report, Shadows achieved the second-highest day-one sales revenue in the Assassin's Creed franchise's history, only surpassed by Valhalla from 2020, which benefited from the unique circumstances of the global pandemic and the launch of next-generation consoles. Additionally, Shadows had Ubisoft's best-ever day-one launch on the PlayStation Store, indicating strong performance on the PS5.
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For PC gamers, Shadows was released on both Steam and Ubisoft's own digital store, with 27% of total "activations" occurring on PC. Ubisoft acknowledges that Steam played a significant role in the game's PC performance, though specific sales data was not disclosed. The company views the early results as a strong validation of their decision to return to the Steam platform.
Ubisoft is emphasizing high player engagement, which is reportedly at "record levels," and positive feedback on moderated, verified platforms, which are less susceptible to review bombing. Shadows was the most-wishlisted Ubisoft game ever and is outperforming all other Assassin's Creed titles on Twitch, even surpassing Valhalla.
The internal communication also contextualizes the comparison between Shadows' launch and other franchise entries. While Shadows does not match Valhalla's launch success, Ubisoft argues that such a comparison is unfair due to Valhalla's unique launch conditions during the global pandemic and the introduction of new console hardware. Instead, Ubisoft suggests that Shadows should be compared to more typical releases like Origins, Odyssey, and Mirage, in which context Shadows is setting new benchmarks.
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It's also important to note that Shadows launched in March, deviating from the typical Assassin's Creed release pattern just before the U.S. Thanksgiving period, which usually boosts sales. Ubisoft also chose not to offer an early access period for Shadows, and their subscription service is now directly available on Xbox, potentially affecting sales comparisons on Microsoft's console.
Ultimately, the financial performance of Assassin's Creed Shadows will play a crucial role in determining not only the game's fate but also Ubisoft's future. We'll have to wait for Ubisoft's next financial report in the coming months to get a clearer picture of the game's impact.
For those eager to dive into the world of feudal Japan with Assassin's Creed Shadows, check out our comprehensive 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.
