Ubisoft has had a difficult few years, defined by a lack of major sales successes, leading to subsequent rounds of layoffs and studio closures. In early 2025, reports emerged that Ubisoft was looking to sell off some its assets or reform the company with the aid of third-party investors. While these processes are likely still ongoing, the recent release of Assassin’s Creed Shadows has seemingly provided new hope for the company – or at the very least, a new reason to celebrate its achievements.
As Ubisoft publicly announced, Assassin’s Creed Shadows hit two million players in the 48 hours since it launched, and this number has likely grown in the days since. Over on PC via Steam, it’s hit a concurrent player peak of 64,825. According to insider data reported by VGC, PC represents 27% of game activations, across both Steam and Ubisoft – and the vast majority of players are seemingly on console.
The game has reportedly proved so popular across the board that Shadows has enjoyed the second biggest launch of any Assassin’s Creed game, only behind Valhalla – which benefited from the coronavirus lockdown-induced gaming boom of 2020.
As noted by VGC, March isn’t typically a favourable time to launch a game, either. There’s no major holidays around it, and schools remain in session. Even despite this, and even with Valhalla‘s performance being buffed by the pandemic, Shadows is performing admirably.
Read: Assassin’s Creed Shadows review – Revenge is sweet
It’s not only folks playing the game that have boosted its profile, either. Per VGC‘s sources, Assassin’s Creed Shadows has also generated “over 11 million hours watched on Twitch” – a figure which has been noted as being the “strongest start” for any recent Ubisoft game. While this doesn’t translate directly into sales, it does mean more folks are talking about, and watching content, related to Assassin’s Creed Shadows, raising its profile significantly.
While there may be some naysayers rolled into these viewing statistics, with some folks taking it upon themselves to rally against the game for ignorant, racist reasons, many more of the conversations online are wildly positive. That extends to critical reviews, with the game currently sitting at a Generally Favourable 81 score on Metacritic.
In the GamesHub review, we called it a well-designed and compelling adventure that makes clever tweaks to the Assassin’s Creed formula, to ensure its gameplay loop is moreish, even dozens of hours in.
“It’s an Assassin’s Creed game that grapples very well with its own nature, expanding the franchise in a new direction, with a new setting that brims with beautiful sights, and layers upon layers of complexity,” we wrote. “Even after two decades in the sun, Assassin’s Creed Shadows proves there’s still many rich stories to tell in its ever-growing universe – and many rich reasons to tell them.”
At a time when it feels most needed, Assassin’s Creed Shadows has proved to be a major hit – news that will no doubt come as a relief to Ubisoft. While the company is still likely to undergo significant change in future – a single game is unlikely to overhaul current circumstances – it does place Ubisoft in a strong position, moving forward. Stay tuned to see what’s next.
