"Assassin's Creed Shadows Surpasses 2 Million Players in Just Two Days, Outperforming Origins and Odyssey Launches, Ubisoft Reports"

Ubisoft has celebrated another impressive milestone for Assassin’s Creed Shadows, announcing that the game has reached 2 million players since its launch on March 20. This marks a significant increase from the 1 million players it achieved on its first day. Ubisoft proudly noted that this surpasses the launch numbers of both Assassin’s Creed Origins and Odyssey, stating, "Thank you for joining the journey in Feudal Japan!"

While Ubisoft has not yet disclosed specific sales figures for Assassin’s Creed Shadows, the game has quickly become the top-selling title on Steam. This is particularly noteworthy as Ubisoft recently returned to Steam after years of exclusive PC launches on the Epic Games Store. At the time of this article's publication, Assassin’s Creed Shadows boasted 58,894 concurrent players on Steam, placing it within the top 30 most-played games on Valve's platform. This peak is anticipated to rise further over the game's opening weekend.

For context, Assassin’s Creed Origins reached a peak of 41,551 concurrent players on Steam, while Odyssey hit 62,069. Given these figures, it's likely that Shadows will soon claim the title of the most-played Assassin’s Creed game on Steam.

It's important to remember that the total concurrent player peak for Assassin’s Creed Shadows will be even higher, considering its simultaneous launch on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S. Unfortunately, neither Sony nor Microsoft publicly share player numbers.

The Complete Assassin's Creed Timeline

25 ImagesAssassin's Creed Shadows faces substantial pressure to perform well globally for Ubisoft, following multiple delays and the disappointing sales of last year’s Star Wars Outlaws. Ubisoft has encountered numerous challenges, including high-profile flops, layoffs, studio closures, and game cancellations leading up to Shadows' release. The situation became so dire that the Guillemot family, Ubisoft's founders and largest shareholders, are reportedly exploring talks with Chinese conglomerate Tencent and other investors about a buyout that would allow them to maintain control.

The game itself has not been without controversy, particularly in Japan. This week, IGN confirmed that Ubisoft released a day-one patch for Assassin’s Creed Shadows, making significant changes in response to concerns from some Japanese politicians regarding in-game representations of temples and shrines. In a notable political exchange, Japanese politician Hiroyuki Kada raised the issue during an official government meeting, prompting a response from Japan's Prime Minister, Shigeru Ishiba.

On Steam, Assassin's Creed Shadows is receiving positive feedback from players, earning a 'very positive' user review rating with 81% of over 6,000 reviews being positive. IGN's review of Assassin’s Creed Shadows awarded it an 8/10, praising it as "one of the best versions of the open-world style it’s been honing for the last decade."

For those eager to explore feudal Japan, be sure to check out our comprehensive Assassin's Creed Shadows guide, including our walkthrough, interactive map, and insights into the game's hidden features.