"Assassin’s Creed Shadows Hits 1 Million Players on Launch Day: Ubisoft"

Ubisoft's latest release, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, has hit the ground running with over 1 million players on its launch day. Launched on March 20 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S, the game quickly amassed a significant player base. By just before 4pm in Canada, Ubisoft proudly announced on social media that Assassin’s Creed Shadows had surpassed the 1 million player mark. "It's not even 4pm here in Canada and Assassin's Creed Shadows has already passed 1 million players!" the company exclaimed, expressing their gratitude and excitement for the community's enthusiastic response to their journey into Feudal Japan.

While the milestone of 1 million players is certainly noteworthy, gauging the game's success remains challenging without specific sales figures or targets from Ubisoft. However, Assassin’s Creed Shadows currently holds the title of the top-selling video game globally on Steam, indicating strong revenue performance on Valve’s platform. Early data shows the game reached a peak concurrent player count of 41,412 on Steam on its launch day. Given that it was released on a Thursday, these numbers are expected to grow over the weekend, providing a clearer picture of its performance in the coming weeks. Neither Sony nor Microsoft publicly disclose player numbers, limiting the full scope of the game's reach across all platforms.

For some context, BioWare's single-player RPG Dragon Age: The Veilguard, launched on Steam on October 31, 2024, achieved a peak of 70,414 players, illustrating the competitive nature of the gaming market.

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The release of Assassin’s Creed Shadows comes at a critical time for Ubisoft, following several delays and the commercial disappointment of last year's Star Wars Outlaws. The company has faced numerous challenges, including high-profile flops, layoffs, studio closures, and game cancellations leading up to this release.

Moreover, Assassin’s Creed Shadows has not been without controversy, particularly in Japan. In response to concerns raised by some Japanese politicians about the portrayal of in-game temples and shrines, Ubisoft released a day-one patch that made significant changes. The issue even reached the Japanese government, with politician Hiroyuki Kada discussing Assassin’s Creed Shadows in an official meeting, prompting a response from Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.

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On Steam, Assassin’s Creed Shadows has been well-received by players, earning a 'very positive' user review rating with 82% of nearly 4,000 reviews marked as positive. IGN’s review of the game awarded it an 8/10, commending Ubisoft for refining its open-world formula and delivering one of the best iterations in the series to date.

Amidst these developments, reports suggest that Ubisoft's founding Guillemot family and largest shareholder are in discussions with Tencent and other investors about a potential buyout deal that would allow them to maintain control over the company.