Assassin’s Creed Shadows pulled in one million players within just 24 hours of its release, Ubisoft announced yesterday. This impressive milestone marks a strong debut for the latest entry in the long-running historical action-adventure series.
The player count includes those accessing the game through Ubisoft+, the publisher’s subscription service, meaning the figure doesn’t directly translate to one million sales.
Nevertheless, it shows significant interest in the first mainline Assassin’s Creed title set in feudal Japan.
It's not even 4PM here in Canada and Assassin's Creed Shadows has already passed 1 million players!
— Assassin's Creed (@assassinscreed) March 20, 2025
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
“The quality of the PC port is exceptional, a standout among recent AAA releases,” noted one early player, highlighting one of the game’s most praised aspects.
Unlike many major releases that struggle with optimization at launch, Shadows has received positive feedback for its technical performance, particularly on high-end hardware.
The game allows players to switch between two protagonists—Naoe, a female shinobi, and Yasuke, a historical African samurai—each offering distinct gameplay styles and narrative perspectives. This dual-character approach has added fresh dimensions to the familiar Assassin’s Creed formula.
Visual enhancements, including ray tracing technology, showcase feudal Japan in stunning detail, while improvements to both stealth and combat systems have addressed criticisms of previous entries. “It’s certainly not doing anything unique, but it’s more Assassin’s Creed in a cleaner and nicer package,” commented another player.
Ubisoft has reportedly delivered a relatively bug-free experience at launch, breaking from the troublesome releases that have plagued some recent AAA titles. The polished state of the game at release has contributed to its positive reception.
This successful launch comes at a crucial time for Ubisoft, which has faced challenges with some recent releases. The strong player engagement could signal a resurgence for both the Assassin’s Creed franchise and the company as a whole, potentially influencing their approach to future titles and how they allocate resources.
