Despite a delayed release and some notable controversies,Assassin’s Creed Shadowsseems to be enjoying a successful launch period on Steam. Originally scheduled for release in 2024,Shadowswas delayed until March 2025 in part due to the relative underperformance of Ubisoft’s previous open-world game,Star Wars Outlaws. Fortunately, for Ubisoft,Shadows' early numbers indicate that the game has found success, and might be well on its way to outstripping several otherAssassin’s Creedgames.
Assassin’s Creed Shadowsis already reaching impressive player countsonSteam Charts,outstrippingValhalla’s all-time peak of15,431 playerson just its first day. At the time of writing,Shadowsis currently sitting at an all-time peak of 41,210 players, putting it significantly above the last two games in the franchise,ValhallaandMirage- and, if the game’s audience continues to grow, it may eventually outstrip the two other most recent games in the series,OriginsandOdyssey.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows Is Behind Origins & Odyssey But Has Plenty Of Time Ahead
Shadow Could Be On Track To Have The Highest Peak Player Count Of Any Assassin’s Creed Game
Currently, in terms of peak player count on Steam,Shadowsis just barely behindOrigins, which peaked at41,541 players, and still trailingOdyssey, which peaked at61,984 players, by a fair amount. With the game releasing on a weekday, there’s still a decent chance for it to beat out bothOriginsandOdysseylater in the day, as more players get the opportunity to start the game. Notably,beating outOdysseywould result inShadowsbeing the most popular launch in the serieson Steam.
How Assassin’s Creed Shadows' Review Scores Compare To AC Odyssey’s & AC Valhalla’s
Assassin’s Creed Shadows' review scores are now out, see how it stacks up against previous titles AC Odyssey and AC Valhalla according to critics.
However, sinceAssassin’s Creedgames (and most games in general) tend to reach their all-time peak at or shortly after launch, it will become much less likely forShadowsto beat the series' all-time record after day one.It should also be noted that Steam is the only platform that provides exact audience metrics, so the size of the game’s console audience is a relative unknown. Still,Shadowslaunch numbers paint a better picture of the game than might have been expected pre-launch.
A New Assassin’s Creed Game Is Finally Exciting The Fanbase
Despite Pre-Launch Doubts, It Seems Like AC Shadows Is A Hit
While new entries in long-running franchises can run the risk of being too formulaic or safe, asScreenRant’s own review ofAssassin’s Creed Shadowspoints out,the game’s early numbers indicate that it’s managed to excite a large playerbase. AnAssassin’s Creedgame set in Japan has been a popular concept in the fanbase for much of the series' lifespan, and whileShadowsstill has some catching up to do if it wants to match the numbers of, say,Ghosts of Tsushima’s Steam release, the game still looks like it’s a success in its own right.
Despite worries regarding the release ofShadows, especially after theunderperformance ofStar WarsOutlaws, the game does seem like a return to form for theAssassin’s Creedseries. While Steam player counts aren’t a perfect indicator of a game’s overall success,Assassin’s Creed Shadowshas managed to outstrip the peak player counts of the last two games in the series combined - and, with a little luck, might be on schedule to outpace the current record-holder,Odyssey, as well.
