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

The launch of Assassin's Creed Shadows is under intense scrutiny due to Ubisoft's recent challenges, including delays and the commercial disappointment of last year's *Star Wars Outlaws*. Ubisoft has faced numerous setbacks, such as high-profile flops, layoffs, studio closures, and game cancellations leading up to the release of Assassin's Creed Shadows. The pressure is immense, as the game's success is crucial for Ubisoft's recovery.

The situation at Ubisoft has deteriorated to the point where the Guillemot family, its founders, are reportedly exploring talks with Chinese mega-corp Tencent and other investors to secure a buyout deal that would maintain their control over the company's intellectual property. This move underscores the gravity of Ubisoft's current predicament.

The gaming community is closely monitoring the early performance of Assassin's Creed Shadows, eager to gauge its success or failure. While Ubisoft has not disclosed specific sales figures, they reported that the game reached 2 million players within just two days of its launch, surpassing the initial player counts of both Origins and Odyssey.

There's also significant interest in Shadows' performance on Steam, where it set a record for the highest peak concurrent players of any Assassin's Creed game at 64,825 over the weekend. It's noteworthy that this was the first Assassin's Creed title to launch directly on Steam. For comparison, BioWare's single-player RPG Dragon Age: The Veilguard achieved a peak of 89,418 players on the platform.

Without knowing Ubisoft's internal expectations, it's challenging to determine whether Assassin's Creed Shadows is underperforming, meeting, or exceeding them. However, an internal email reviewed by IGN provides some insights into the game's initial weekend performance. According to the email, Shadows achieved the second-highest day-one sales revenue in the franchise's history, only behind 2020's Valhalla, which benefited from the unique circumstances of the global pandemic and next-gen console launches.

Shadows also recorded Ubisoft's best-ever day-one launch on the PlayStation Store, indicating strong performance on the PS5.

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Regarding its PC performance, 27% of Shadows' total "activations" occurred on PC, with Steam playing a significant role. Ubisoft has not shared exact sell-through numbers but emphasized that early results validate their decision to return to the Steam platform.

Ubisoft is highlighting player engagement, which is at "record levels," and the feedback across moderated, verified platforms has been overwhelmingly positive, despite some review bombing. Shadows was also the most-wishlisted Ubisoft game of all time and has outperformed other Assassin's Creed titles on Twitch, even surpassing Valhalla.

Ubisoft's internal communications contextualize Shadows' performance relative to other franchise entries. While Shadows did not match Valhalla's launch success, Ubisoft argues that comparing the two is unfair due to Valhalla's launch during the "perfect storm" of a global pandemic and new console releases. Instead, Ubisoft suggests comparing Shadows to more typical releases like Origins, Odyssey, and Mirage, where Shadows sets a new benchmark.

"Valhalla launched under extraordinary conditions — in the middle of a global pandemic, with widespread lockdowns and brand-new console hardware," the internal communication states. "It was a perfect storm we may never see again. That's why it's more meaningful to compare Shadows to entries like Origins, Odyssey, and Mirage — games released in more typical cycles. And in that frame, Shadows is already setting a new bar as illustrated above."

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Ubisoft also noted that Shadows was released in March, deviating from the typical pre-Thanksgiving launch window, which usually boosts sales. Additionally, Ubisoft did not offer an early access period, which they typically charge for, and their subscription service is now available directly on Xbox, complicating sales comparisons.

Ultimately, the financial performance of Assassin's Creed Shadows will be the decisive factor for both the game's future and Ubisoft's overall health. We'll have a clearer picture of this when Ubisoft releases its next financial report in the coming months.

For those embarking on the adventure through feudal Japan, check out our comprehensive Assassin's Creed Shadows 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.