Ubisoft Urges Comparison of Assassin's Creed Shadows to Origins, Odyssey, Mirage, Not Valhalla

Assassin's Creed Shadows faces immense global pressure to succeed for Ubisoft, following several delays and the disappointing sales of last year's Star Wars Outlaws. The company has been grappling with a series of setbacks, including high-profile flops, layoffs, studio closures, and game cancellations leading up to the release of Shadows.

The situation at Ubisoft has escalated to the point where the founding Guillemot family is reportedly exploring talks with Chinese mega-corp Tencent and other investors about a buyout deal. This would allow them to retain control over the company's intellectual property, highlighting the critical nature of Shadows' performance.

The video game industry is closely monitoring Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ early performance to gauge its success or failure. While Ubisoft has not yet released specific sales figures, they have announced that Shadows reached 2 million players within just two days of its launch, surpassing the launch numbers of both Origins and Odyssey.

There's also significant attention on Shadows' Steam concurrent player numbers, which are being compared to other recent triple-A single-player game releases and previous Assassin’s Creed titles on Valve's platform. Over the weekend, Shadows became the most-played game in the series on Steam, achieving a peak of 64,825 concurrent players. It's important to note, however, that this was the first Assassin's Creed game to launch directly on Steam. For context, BioWare’s single-player RPG Dragon Age: The Veilguard reached a peak of 89,418 players on the same platform.

Determining whether Shadows meets, exceeds, or falls short of Ubisoft’s expectations is challenging without knowing those expectations. However, insights from an internal Ubisoft email, reviewed by IGN, offer a clearer picture of the game's first weekend performance.

The internal data reveals that Shadows achieved the second-highest day-one sales revenue in the franchise's history, only behind 2020’s Valhalla, which benefited from a unique combination of launching across multiple console generations during the peak of stay-at-home gaming due to the global pandemic.

Shadows also set a record for Ubisoft's best day-one launch on the PlayStation Store, indicating strong performance on the PS5.

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Regarding PC performance, Shadows saw 27% of its total "activations" on this platform. Ubisoft's internal communications emphasize that Steam played a significant role in the game’s PC performance, though exact sales numbers are not disclosed. They describe the early results as a "strong validation of our decision to return to the platform."

Ubisoft is also highlighting the game's player engagement, which is at "record levels," and notes that "feedback across moderated, verified platforms — those less affected by review bombing — remains incredibly positive." Shadows was the most-wishlisted Ubisoft game ever and is outperforming all other Assassin’s Creed titles on Twitch, including Valhalla.

The internal communication provides context on the comparisons between Shadows' launch and other games in the franchise. While Shadows did not match Valhalla's launch performance, Ubisoft argues that Valhalla's success was due to a "perfect storm" of factors including the global pandemic, widespread lockdowns, and the launch of new console hardware. They suggest it's more appropriate to compare Shadows with games like Origins, Odyssey, and Mirage, released during more typical market conditions. In this comparison, Shadows is setting new benchmarks.

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Ubisoft also highlighted that Shadows was released in March, outside the traditional pre-Thanksgiving launch window that typically boosts sales. Additionally, Ubisoft chose not to offer an early access period, which they usually charge extra for, and their subscription service is now available directly on Xbox, affecting sales comparisons on that console.

Ultimately, the financial success of Assassin's Creed Shadows will be a decisive factor not only for the game but for Ubisoft's future. A clear picture of this may only emerge with Ubisoft's next financial report in the coming months.

For those exploring the world of feudal Japan in Assassin's Creed Shadows, be sure to check out our comprehensive guide, including the Assassin's Creed Shadows walkthrough, our detailed Assassin's Creed Shadows Interactive Map, and our guide to all the crucial aspects Assassin’s Creed Shadows doesn’t explicitly mention.