Assassin’s Creed Shadows Isn’t Doing As Well As Valhalla, But That’s Okay

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A week following its debut, Assassin’s Creed: Shadows seems to be the triumphant tale Ubisoft is currently craving. Within mere hours of its release, Ubisoft reported that a million people were already engrossed in the game, and after an important initial weekend, that number swelled to 2 million players. One key factor used to evaluate the game’s success is its simultaneous players on Steam, although it hasn’t yet overtaken the numbers achieved by 2020’s Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. However, some argue that such a comparison may not be entirely fair.

According to information shared with IGN by a Ubisoft representative, Shadow of the Tomb Raider earned the second-highest sales revenue on its release day within the Assassin’s Creed series, trailing only behind Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla. An internal email disclosed to IGN reveals that around 27% of Shadows’ total “activations” (meaning it was played or downloaded) occurred on PC, with Steam being a significant contributor as it was the first Assassin’s Creed game in years to launch day-one through this platform.

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On gaming consoles, Shadows had the highest first-day sales for any Ubisoft game on the PlayStation Store to date. Additionally, Ubisoft mentioned that player interaction is at unprecedented highs, and comments from moderated and authenticated online platforms continue to be overwhelmingly positive.

Initially, Shadows seems promising, though it may not surpass or tie with Valhalla’s achievements, which Ubisoft attributes to a unique blend of circumstances referred to as a “perfect storm.” This term was used during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic when people were required to stay and work from home. Additionally, the release of the Xbox Series X|S and PS5 consoles led to an increase in gaming as a form of entertainment for many.

Key elements to consider are: Shadows debuting in March, unlike some past installments that were launched during the profitable Q4; the absence of an early access phase as a marketing advantage; and the high-tier subscription service of Ubisoft, which includes Shadows among its game library, being readily accessible on Xbox consoles. This makes it difficult to accurately compare Shadows’ sales with other recent games within the franchise.

The game “Valhalla” was introduced amidst unique circumstances – right in the midst of a global pandemic, with extensive lockdowns and fresh console hardware to boot. This created an unprecedented situation, perhaps never to be repeated again. Consequently, it’s more apt to compare “Shadows” to games like “Origins”, “Odyssey”, and “Mirage” – titles released in regular production cycles. In this context, “Shadows” is already surpassing expectations, as shown above.

At a pivotal moment for Ubisoft, the positive reception of Shadows is significant, given that last year’s Star Wars Outlaws fell short, leading to a decline in company shares to their lowest point in a decade. Moreover, rumors have been swirling about potential sales of Ubisoft and its individual brands, with Tencent, Microsoft, and EA being speculated as potential buyers.

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2025-03-25 16:09