Ubisoft: Compare AC Shadows to Origins, Not Valhalla

Ubisoft faces immense pressure for Assassin's Creed Shadows to succeed globally following multiple delays and the underwhelming performance of last year's Star Wars Outlaws. The company has endured a turbulent period marked by high-profile failures, workforce reductions, studio shutdowns, and canceled projects leading up to Shadows' launch.

The situation has grown so dire that Ubisoft's founding Guillemot family is reportedly in discussions with Tencent and other investors about a potential buyout agreement that would maintain their control over the company's intellectual property.

The gaming industry is closely monitoring Assassin's Creed Shadows' early performance as a barometer for Ubisoft's future. While exact sales figures remain undisclosed, Ubisoft confirmed the game attracted 2 million players within two days - surpassing both Origins and Odyssey's launch numbers.

Significant attention has focused on Shadows' Steam performance, with concurrent player counts being compared against recent AAA single-player releases and previous Assassin's Creed titles on the platform.

The game achieved a franchise-record 64,825 peak concurrent players on Steam during its launch weekend - though notably, it's the first series entry to debut simultaneously on Valve's platform. By comparison, BioWare's Dragon Age: The Veilguard peaked at 89,418 Steam players.

Without knowing Ubisoft's internal benchmarks, it's difficult to assess whether Shadows is underperforming, meeting, or exceeding expectations. However, an internal Ubisoft email obtained by IGN provides insights into the game's launch window performance.

Key findings reveal: Shadows generated the franchise's second-highest day-one revenue, trailing only 2020's Valhalla - which benefited tremendously from pandemic-induced lockdowns and next-gen console launches.

Additionally, Shadows marked Ubisoft's strongest PlayStation Store debut to date, indicating particularly robust PS5 performance.

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Regarding PC performance (launched simultaneously on Steam and Ubisoft Connect), internal data shows PC accounted for 27% of total activations. Ubisoft credits Steam as instrumental to this performance, though specific sales figures weren't disclosed. Company leadership considers these results validation of their Steam return strategy.

Ubisoft emphasizes record-breaking player engagement metrics and positive reception across verified review platforms (less susceptible to review bombing). Shadows holds the distinction as Ubisoft's most wishlisted title ever and outperforms all previous Assassin's Creed games in Twitch viewership - including Valhalla.

The internal communication contextualizes comparisons between Shadows and Valhalla's launches: while Shadows trails Valhalla's performance, Ubisoft argues this isn't an apples-to-apples comparison given Valhalla's uniquely favorable pandemic-era launch conditions coupled with next-gen console releases.

"Valhalla launched during an unprecedented situation - global lockdowns coinciding with new console generations," the memo states. "We likely won't see those perfect conditions again. Comparing Shadows to Origins, Odyssey, and Mirage - which launched during normal market cycles - shows Shadows is establishing new benchmarks."

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Several factors differentiate Shadows' launch: its March release (unlike the traditional pre-holiday window), omission of paid early access options, and Ubisoft+ now being directly available on Xbox - which impacts direct sales comparisons on Microsoft's platform.

Ultimately, financial performance - rather than player metrics - will determine both Shadows' legacy and Ubisoft's immediate future. Clear financial data won't emerge until Ubisoft's next quarterly earnings report.

Exploring feudal Japan? See our detailed Assassin's Creed Shadows resources including a complete walkthrough, interactive map, and guide highlighting essential mechanics the game doesn't explain.