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 following Ubisoft's recent challenges, including the disappointing sales of last year's Star Wars Outlaws. Ubisoft has faced a series of setbacks, including high-profile flops, layoffs, studio closures, and game cancellations leading up to the release of Shadows. The pressure is palpable, with the Guillemot family reportedly in discussions with Chinese giant Tencent and other investors about a potential buyout that would safeguard the company's intellectual property.

The gaming community is closely monitoring the early performance of Assassin's Creed Shadows for any indication of its success or failure. Although Ubisoft has not released specific sales figures, they announced that Shadows achieved 2 million players within just two days of its launch, outpacing the initial performance of Origins and Odyssey.

There's keen interest in Shadows' performance on Steam, where it set a new record for the series by reaching a peak of 64,825 concurrent players over the weekend. This is notable as Shadows was the first game in the series to launch directly on Steam. For comparison, Dragon Age: The Veilguard by BioWare peaked at 89,418 players on the same platform.

Determining whether Shadows meets, exceeds, or falls short of Ubisoft's expectations is challenging without knowing their specific targets. However, insights from an internal Ubisoft email, reviewed by IGN, shed light on the game's initial weekend performance. Shadows secured the second-highest day-one sales revenue in the franchise's history, surpassed only by Valhalla in 2020, which benefited from the surge in gaming during the global pandemic and the launch of new console generations.

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

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On the PC front, 27% of Shadows' total activations were on this platform, with Steam playing a significant role in its PC performance. Ubisoft's internal communications suggest that early results validate their decision to relaunch on the platform, though exact sales numbers remain undisclosed.

Ubisoft emphasizes high player engagement, which is at record levels, and notes positive feedback from moderated, verified platforms, indicating resilience against review bombing. Shadows was the most-wishlisted Ubisoft game ever and is outperforming all other Assassin's Creed titles on Twitch, including Valhalla.

Comparisons with Valhalla are contextualized within Ubisoft's internal communications, noting that Valhalla launched amidst unique conditions like global lockdowns and new console releases. Ubisoft suggests that comparing Shadows to more typical releases like Origins, Odyssey, and Mirage is more appropriate, and in this context, Shadows is setting new benchmarks.

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Ubisoft also highlighted that Shadows was released in March, deviating from the traditional pre-Thanksgiving launch window, and did not include an early access period. Additionally, Ubisoft's subscription service now available directly on Xbox complicates sales comparisons on that platform.

Ultimately, the financial success of Assassin's Creed Shadows will be crucial not only for the game but for Ubisoft's future. We will have a clearer picture of its impact once Ubisoft releases its next financial report in the coming months.

Interested in exploring feudal Japan with Assassin's Creed Shadows? Dive into our detailed guide, including the Assassin's Creed Shadows walkthrough, the Assassin's Creed Shadows Interactive Map, and essential tips that the game doesn't explicitly mention.