Assassin’s Creed Shadowshas only been available for a few hours but is already proving to be a successful launch based on its player numbers.
During pre-sale,AC Shadowsbroke several sales records, includingclimbing to the top of the Steam Top Sellers chart. Just a few days ago, it was in second place, but now it’s the best-selling game on Steam.The game has also topped sales charts on various platforms in Japan, fitting given that it’s set there.
This early success suggestsShadowscould become one of the top-performing titles in theAssassin’s Creedseries on Steam pretty soon.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ launch beats Black Flag and Valhalla
As of 3 PM ET on March 20th,Assassin’s Creed Shadowsreached a peak of 41,000 concurrent players on Steam alone, according toSteam Charts. This number doesn’t even include players using other platforms or Ubisoft Plus.
This peak surpasses all previousAssassin’s Creedgames on Steam, includingAssassin’s Creed IV Black FlagandValhalla, both of which peaked at just under 16,000 players.
The onlyAssassin’s CreedgameShadowshasn’t surpassed yet isAssassin’s Creed Odyssey, which peaked at nearly 62,000 concurrent players shortly after release. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean Shadows won’t outperform its predecessor.
Shadows should eventually outperform Odyssey
Historical trends show that peak player counts forACgames usually happen a few days after launch. Odyssey, for example, hit its peak two days after release, over a weekend when more people typically play games. That’s why it’s highly likely thatAssassin’s Creed Shadowswill see a higher peak during the upcoming weekend, especially in the late afternoon and evening hours in North America and Europe.
Given thatShadowscurrently holds a good 80% positive review rating on Steam and averages a little over8 out of 10 from critics reviews, the game is already recognized as a strong entry in the series.Assassin’s Creed Shadowsseems ready to set new records for the franchise, but we’ll have to see if it can hold a steady player base throughout the years the way Odyssey has been doing.
