Assassin’s Creed Shadows is off to a great start with 1 million players on release day

Ubisoft needs a kickstart and Assassin’s Creed Shadows may just be the thing as the game reached 1 million players within a day of release. While the numbers don’t necessarily equate to sales, it’s a win that Ubisoft needs desperately. The game was delayed multiple times, so changes could be made according to feedback and avoid another disappointing release.

“It's not even 4 PM here in Canada and Assassin's Creed Shadows has already passed 1 million players! Thank YOU from the bottom of our hearts for joining this adventure in Feudal Japan. We are beyond excited to start this journey with you!” the official post wrote along with some game keys for Ubisoft Connect which are already claimed.

It's not even 4PM here in Canada and Assassin's Creed Shadows has already passed 1 million players!

Thank YOU from the bottom of our hearts for joining this adventure in Feudal Japan. We are beyond excited to start this journey with you! 💝 pic.twitter.com/1cqwABrQfN

— Assassin's Creed (@assassinscreed) March 20, 2025

Impressive player count for Assassin’s Creed Shadows

Assassin’s Creed Shadows also turned into one of the biggest for the franchise on Steam. The game reached a peak player count of 41,412 on a weekday which is the highest across any other game in the series. Similar to the critic ratings, those who purchased the game across Steam have also given a similar 81% rating which is quite decent.

This is likely thanks to day-one release on the platform and the numbers are expected to go a bit higher during the weekend. Other players seem to be across consoles and Ubisoft Connect, either through purchase or Ubisoft + subscription.

Also Read:Assassin’s Creed Shadows features a free Battle Pass

Assassin’s Creed Shadows isn’t perfect

While the game has received a lot of praise, there are also some issues pointed out by players, mainly the microtransactions in a single-player game and voice acting across some languages being not up to par. While the microtransactions can be ignored, the voice acting for those who want to experience Assassin’s Creed Shadows in the language they prefer can be a bit immersion-breaking.