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

The release of Assassin's Creed Shadows is under intense scrutiny following a series of setbacks for Ubisoft, including delays and the commercial disappointment of last year's Star Wars Outlaws. Ubisoft has faced multiple challenges, including high-profile flops, layoffs, studio closures, and game cancellations leading up to the launch of Shadows. The pressure is immense, given the company's recent struggles.

The situation at Ubisoft has become dire enough that the founding Guillemot family is reportedly engaging in discussions with Chinese conglomerate Tencent and other potential investors about a buyout that would allow them to maintain control over the company's 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 disclosed specific sales figures, they announced that Shadows reached 2 million players within just two days of its release, outpacing the launch figures of both Origins and Odyssey.

On Steam, Shadows has been a topic of significant interest, with its concurrent player numbers being compared to other recent triple-A single-player releases and previous entries in the Assassin's Creed series. Over the weekend, Shadows set a new record as the most-played game in the series on Steam, reaching a peak of 64,825 concurrent players. It's important to note that this was the first time an Assassin's Creed game launched on Steam on day one. For comparison, Dragon Age: The Veilguard by BioWare achieved a peak of 89,418 players on the platform.

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

According to the internal communication, Shadows achieved the second-highest day-one sales revenue in the franchise's history, surpassed only by Valhalla in 2020, which benefited from the unique circumstances of the global pandemic and next-gen console launches. Additionally, Shadows had the best-ever day-one launch on the PlayStation Store, indicating strong performance on the PS5.

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Regarding the PC performance, Shadows saw 27% of its total "activations" on this platform. Ubisoft credits Steam for playing a significant role in the game's PC success, though exact sales numbers remain undisclosed. They emphasize that the early results validate their decision to return to the platform.

Ubisoft has highlighted the record levels of player engagement and the overwhelmingly positive feedback from moderated, verified platforms, which are less susceptible to review bombing. Shadows was also the most-wishlisted Ubisoft game ever and has outperformed any other Assassin's Creed title on Twitch, including Valhalla.

The internal communication provides context on comparisons with other games in the franchise, stating that while Shadows did not match Valhalla's launch performance, such a comparison is unfair due to the exceptional circumstances surrounding Valhalla's release during the global pandemic and next-gen console launches. Ubisoft suggests that Shadows should be compared to games like Origins, Odyssey, and Mirage, which were released under more typical conditions, and in this context, Shadows sets a new benchmark.

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Ubisoft also noted that Shadows was released in March, deviating from the usual launch timing just before the U.S. Thanksgiving period, which typically boosts sales. Furthermore, Ubisoft opted not to offer an early access period, which they typically charge for, and their subscription service is now directly available on Xbox, impacting sales and complicating comparisons.

Ultimately, the financial performance of Assassin's Creed Shadows will be crucial in determining not only the game's fate but also the future of Ubisoft. A clearer understanding of this will likely come 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 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.