Assassin's Creed Shadows was the best-selling game in the US at launch

Ubisoft's latest samurai Assassin's Creed game continues its success streak with surprising performance in the United States.

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Based on the data, we know that Assassin's Creed: Shadows is a success. No one knew beforehand whether or not Shadows would shoot Ubisoft to the moon or bury it. Controversy (principally caused by the game's shrine destruction, which is incredibly disrespectful to Japanese culture) and continual pressure from fans made Shadows feel almost volatile, but Ubisoft assuaged controversy by updating the game while also delivering on fan requests.

As a result, Shadows is a hit, with 3 million players in a week's time. Reports also say that Assassin's Creed: Shadows sold so well that it brushed up against Valhalla's incredible record-setting performance; Shadows' day one sales revenue is so large that it's second only to Valhalla.

Shadows is doing particularly well in the United States, which is one of the biggest geographies for video games. In a recent post, Circana analyst Mat Piscatella shares a quick update that continues the narrative of Shadows' success:

"Assassin's Creed: Shadows has been the best-selling video game in the US for each of its first 3 weeks in market, according to Circana's Retail Tracking Service (dollar sales, latest data through April 5th)," Piscatella said on Bluesky.

"[Assassin's Creed: Shadows] currently ranks #2 year-to-date trailing only Monster Hunter: Wilds."

Ubisoft has yet to comment on the financial performance of Assassin's Creed: Shadows, but we will undoubtedly get more information during the company's next earning call.

That call should also be interesting as Ubisoft now operates under a unique structure after its billion-dollar deal with Tencent.

Tencent gave Ubisoft $1.25 billion to help pay down its debt and fund new projects. Tencent's investment sees Ubisoft forming a new subsidiary complete with its own operational structure and board of directors that will manage Ubisoft's biggest franchises: Assassin's Creed, Rainbow Six, and Far Cry.

Tencent was granted a 25% stake in the subsidiary for its investment. This new subsidiary will be handling the development of current and future Assassin's Creed games while overseeing the franchise as a whole.