UbisoftAssassin’s Creed Shadows has failed to beat Valhalla’s launch day sales record, but a Ubisoft source believes that it’s not tied to any of the controversy.
In an internal email shared by IGN, Ubisoft revealed why Assassin’s Creed Shadows has struggled to match Valhalla in terms of success, with the source noting how Valhalla had a “perfect storm” that helped propel it to the top spot.
“Valhalla launched under extraordinary conditions – in the middle of a global [crisis], with widespread lockdowns and brand-new console hardware,” explained Ubisoft. “It was a perfect storm we may never see again.”
While the devs have never disclosed the exact figures for Valhalla’s launch sales, an official statement from November 2020 did reveal that it’s the “biggest” in the series’ history.
AC Shadows fails to beat Valhalla
The internal communication also indicated that it’s fairer to pit Shadows against other games from the franchise, stating:
“It’s more meaningful to compare Shadows to entries like Origins, Odyssey, and Mirage – games released in more typical cycles. And in that frame, Shadows is already setting a new bar.”
While Ubisoft has yet to reveal the exact sales figures, we do know that Assassin’s Creed Shadows is the biggest Steam release in franchise history, reaching an all-time player count peak of 64,825 players.
The open-world title also reached its two-million-player milestone on March 22, outpacing the launches of AC Origins and Odyssey. Interestingly, the internal communication also notes that 27% of Shadows’ total “activations” were on PC, with Ubisoft revealing Steam “played a major role” in Shadows’ success.
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It’s also important to note that AC Shadows is also part of Ubisoft+, the publisher’s monthly subscription service. This has also likely had a significant impact on launch sales as the service is available on PC and Xbox.
While Shadows may not have beaten Valhalla, the devs have been keen to thank players for their support. Despite the controversy surrounding Yasuke and concerns over shrine vandalism, Shadows has achieved the second-highest day-one sales in the series’ history.
