Don't Compare Assassin's Creed Shadows' Launch to the 'Perfect Storm' Valhalla Benefitted From, Ubisoft Internal Email Says, Compare It to Origins, Odyssey, and Mirage

The release of Assassin's Creed Shadows comes at a critical juncture for Ubisoft, following a series of delays and the commercial disappointment of last year's Star Wars Outlaws. The company has faced significant challenges, including high-profile flops, layoffs, studio closures, and game cancellations leading up to this launch. The pressure on Shadows to perform well globally is immense, especially as Ubisoft's founding Guillemot family is reportedly exploring talks with Chinese mega-corp Tencent and other investors on a buyout deal to maintain control over the company's intellectual property.

The gaming community is keenly observing the early performance of Assassin's Creed Shadows, looking for indicators of success or failure. While Ubisoft has not disclosed specific sales figures, they announced that Shadows achieved 2 million players within just two days of its launch, outpacing the initial performance of both Origins and Odyssey.

There's significant interest in Shadows' concurrent player numbers on Steam, which are being benchmarked against other recent triple-A single-player titles and past Assassin's Creed games. Over the weekend, Shadows set a new record for the series on Steam with a peak of 64,825 concurrent players, though it's noteworthy that it was the first in the franchise to launch day-one on the platform. By comparison, Dragon Age: The Veilguard from BioWare reached a peak of 89,418 players on Steam.

Determining whether Shadows meets, exceeds, or falls short of Ubisoft's expectations is challenging without knowing the company's specific goals. However, insights from an internal Ubisoft email, reviewed by IGN, shed light on the game's initial weekend performance.

According to the email, Shadows generated the second-highest day-one sales revenue in the Assassin's Creed franchise, only surpassed by Valhalla in 2020, which benefited from launching during the peak of the stay-at-home gaming trend spurred by the global pandemic. Additionally, Shadows had Ubisoft's most successful day-one launch on the PlayStation Store, indicating strong performance on PS5.

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On the PC front, where Shadows launched on both Steam and Ubisoft's own digital store, 27% of the game's total "activations" occurred on PC. Ubisoft credits Steam with playing a "major role" in the PC performance, though specific sell-through numbers remain undisclosed. The company views these early results as a strong endorsement of their decision to return to the Steam platform.

Ubisoft is emphasizing high player engagement, which is 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.

Internal communications from Ubisoft contextualize the comparisons between Shadows' launch and other games in the franchise. While Shadows did not match Valhalla's launch performance, Ubisoft argues that such comparisons are unfair due to the unique circumstances surrounding Valhalla's release during a global pandemic and the launch of new console hardware. Instead, Ubisoft suggests comparing Shadows to more traditionally released titles like Origins, Odyssey, and Mirage, where Shadows is setting new benchmarks.

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Ubisoft also noted that Shadows released in March, a departure from the typical pre-Thanksgiving launch window that boosts sales. Additionally, Ubisoft did not offer an early access period for Shadows, and their subscription service is now available directly on Xbox, which impacts sales comparisons on Microsoft's console.

Ultimately, the financial success of Assassin's Creed Shadows will be a decisive factor for both the game and Ubisoft's future. We'll gain a clearer understanding of this when Ubisoft releases its next financial report in the coming months.

If you're embarking on your journey through feudal Japan, don't miss 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.