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

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

by Henry Apr 13,2025

The stakes are sky-high for Ubisoft with the launch of Assassin's Creed Shadows. Following a series of setbacks including delays, the disappointing sales of Star Wars Outlaws, and a string of high-profile flops, layoffs, studio closures, and game cancellations, the gaming community is watching closely to see how Shadows performs. The pressure is further intensified by reports that Ubisoft's founding Guillemot family is reportedly exploring talks with Chinese mega-corp Tencent and other investors on a buyout deal, aiming to retain control over the company's intellectual property.

Despite not releasing specific sales figures, Ubisoft announced that Assassin's Creed Shadows reached 2 million players within just two days of its launch, outpacing the initial performance of both Origins and Odyssey. The game also made headlines on Steam, where it achieved the highest peak concurrent players for any Assassin's Creed title, with 64,825 players over the launch weekend. This is particularly notable as Shadows was the first in the series to launch day-one on Steam. For context, Dragon Age: The Veilguard by BioWare peaked at 89,418 players on the same platform.

Without knowing Ubisoft's exact expectations, it's challenging to gauge if Shadows is meeting, exceeding, or falling short. However, internal communications reviewed by IGN provide some insight. Shadows achieved the second-highest day-one sales revenue in the franchise's history, only surpassed by Valhalla in 2020, which benefited from the unique circumstances of the global pandemic and the launch of new console generations.

Shadows also set a new record for Ubisoft's best-ever day-one launch on the PlayStation Store, indicating strong performance on PS5. On the PC front, 27% of total "activations" were on this platform, with Steam playing a significant role in its success. Ubisoft emphasizes the importance of player engagement, which is at "record levels," and the positive feedback across moderated, verified platforms, which are less prone to review bombing. Shadows was the most-wishlisted Ubisoft game and is performing better than any other Assassin's Creed game on Twitch, including Valhalla.

Ubisoft's internal communications offer context on the performance comparisons, noting that while Shadows does not match Valhalla's launch, it's unfair to directly compare the two due to Valhalla's exceptional circumstances. Instead, Ubisoft suggests comparing Shadows to games like Origins, Odyssey, and Mirage, which were released under more typical market conditions. In this light, Shadows is setting new benchmarks for the franchise.

Additionally, Ubisoft highlighted that Shadows released in March, deviating from the typical pre-Thanksgiving launch window that traditionally boosts sales. The company also opted out of an early access period and introduced its subscription service directly on Xbox, complicating sales comparisons on Microsoft's platform.

Ultimately, the financial performance of Assassin's Creed Shadows will be critical not only for the game itself but for Ubisoft's future. We'll have to wait for the company's next financial report to get a clearer picture of its impact.

For those diving into the world of feudal Japan with Assassin's Creed Shadows, 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.