Assassin's Creed Shadows hits 1 million players in first day, Ubisoft confirms

Assassin's Creed Shadows appears to off to a good start on launch day despite pressure and controversy.

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It looks like Ubisoft may have pulled it off: AC Shadows is showing signs of being a hit release. The new Feudal Japan-set mainline Assassin's Creed game is the #1 top-seller on Steam right now, and it's also #4 on the PlayStation Store. Now today Ubisoft celebrates the game's official launch with a new milestone: Shadows has already been played by over 1 million people on all platforms.

"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!" Ubisoft wrote on Twitter.

If that metric sounds a bit unusual, that's because it encompasses all forms of access, not just full game sales. Ubisoft releases its big first-party games onto its Ubisoft+ subscription service, so there's a mix of game sales revenue (~$60-70 per copy) versus subscription access ($18 per month).

Ubisoft is counting on Shadows doing well at a time when the company needs it most. Mismanagement, high costs, and other perils have threatened Ubisoft's core business, leading to the group exploring opportunities to sell or license its games and IPs to third-parties, or to go private with the help off potential games ally Tencent.

Shadows has come under fire for various controversies, many of which stem from the game's depictions of Japanese culture and art during the time period. The Japanese government has also formally spoken against the destruction of shrines in the game.