Ubisoft's latest installment in the iconic Assassin's Creed series, Assassin's Creed Shadows, has made a remarkable entry into the gaming world, amassing over 1 million players on its launch day. Released on March 20 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S, Ubisoft shared the exciting news on social media just before 4pm in Canada, stating, "It's not even 4pm here in Canada and Assassin's Creed Shadows has already passed 1 million players!" They expressed heartfelt gratitude to the fans, saying, "Thank YOU from the bottom of our hearts for joining this adventure in Feudal Japan. We are beyond excited to start this journey with you!"

While reaching 1 million players on launch day is a testament to the game's popularity, gauging its full success remains challenging due to Ubisoft not disclosing specific sales figures or targets. However, Assassin's Creed Shadows currently holds the top spot as the best-selling video game on Steam worldwide, indicating its strong revenue performance on the platform.

Early Steam data reveals that Assassin's Creed Shadows achieved a peak concurrent player count of 41,412 on launch day. Given that the game was released on a Thursday, it's anticipated that these numbers will increase over the weekend, providing a clearer picture of its performance in the coming weeks. In comparison, BioWare's single-player RPG Dragon Age: The Veilguard, which launched on Steam on October 31, 2024, saw a peak of 70,414 players.

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The success of Assassin's Creed Shadows is crucial for Ubisoft, especially following delays and the underwhelming sales 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.

Assassin's Creed Shadows has not been without controversy, particularly in Japan. IGN reported that Ubisoft released a day-one patch addressing concerns raised by some Japanese politicians regarding in-game representations of temples and shrines. This issue was even discussed in an official government meeting between Japanese politician Hiroyuki Kada and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.

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On Steam, Assassin's Creed Shadows has received a 'very positive' user review rating, with 82% of nearly 4,000 reviews being positive. IGN's review awarded the game an 8/10, praising it for refining its open-world mechanics and delivering one of the best experiences 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 that would allow them to retain control of the company.