The release of Assassin’s Creed Shadows was supposed to be Ubisoft’s saving grace. After months of delays, backlash, and a marketing campaign marred by controversy, all eyes were on how the game would perform on its launch day. But the numbers are in for Assassin’s Creed Shadows—and they’re not looking good for Ubisoft, particularly on Steam.
Right now, Assassin’s Creed Shadows is the 36th spot for games being played right now on Steam. pic.twitter.com/LgqKnb3zFw
— Grummz (@Grummz) March 20, 2025
According to Steam charts, Assassin’s Creed Shadows peaked at just 41,412 concurrent players on launch day, making it only the 36th most played game on Steam for the day. That’s a disastrous result for a big-budget AAA title backed by one of the largest publishers in the industry. To put it into perspective, Shadows was soundly beaten by older titles like Red Dead Redemption 2, indie favorites like Stardew Valley, and even the newly released Marvel Rivals. It was also overtaken by titles such as Kingdom Come Deliverance II, Baldur’s Gate 3, and Helldivers 2, all of which boast higher player counts and more organic enthusiasm among gamers.
Mainstream Media Reviews Raise Eyebrows
Despite the lackluster player numbers, mainstream gaming outlets have been handing out glowing reviews. As of this writing, Assassin’s Creed Shadows holds an 81 Metacritic score, buoyed by a slew of favorable critiques from major publications like IGN, which gave the game its customary 8/10 it reserves for troubled AAA titles.
However, a closer look at these reviews reveals a familiar pattern—high scores coupled with notable caveats.
A review of Assassin’s Creed Shadows on Metacritic that claims the game has flaws but also scores it as a perfect 100 – Metacritic
For instance, VG247 awarded Shadows a perfect 100, while still admitting in their review, “there are problems with Assassin’s Creed Shadows, for sure. But it’s fun to play.” How a game with acknowledged issues can earn a flawless score is anyone’s guess—but it does raise questions about the objectivity of these outlets.
Gamers have already begun calling out these inconsistencies, and with user scores yet to be finalized, there’s mounting skepticism over whether Ubisoft’s latest release will hold up once player feedback begins to pour in.
A Troubled Road to Launch
None of this lackluster Steam performance should come as a surprise to anyone who has been following the rocky path Assassin’s Creed Shadows has taken to get here. Ubisoft spent the better part of a year fighting one PR disaster after another.
The game’s focus on Yasuke—a Black samurai whose historical role remains debated—was met with skepticism from longtime fans and historians alike. Criticism quickly mounted over historical inaccuracies, questionable design choices, and cultural missteps, such as the ability to damage sacred Japanese shrines. Ubisoft scrambled to patch this out at the last minute, but the damage to its reputation had already been done.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows Qlectors Yasuke & Naoe (2024), Pure Arts
Adding insult to injury, a collector’s statue was pulled from sale after being accused of insensitivity, and unauthorized use of historical imagery in the game’s concept art sparked further backlash. Elon Musk himself even joined in on the criticism, amplifying the growing discontent across social media.
Ubisoft’s Financial Woes Deepen
Ubisoft was banking heavily on Shadows to turn around what has been widely regarded as the company’s worst financial period to date. With its stock value plummeting over 85% in the past four years, mounting debt totaling over €1.4 billion, and massive production costs for underwhelming releases like Skull & Bones and Star Wars Outlaws, the publisher has been teetering on the brink.
Internal unrest has also been brewing, with shareholders demanding accountability from leadership, and even calls for CEO Yves Guillemot’s removal gaining traction. Ubisoft’s controversial partnership with the Canadian government’s Communications Security Establishment to monitor online discussions has further alienated fans, who see it as an attempt to suppress criticism rather than fix the core issues plaguing the company.
A screenshot from Assassin’s Creed Shadows (2024), Ubisoft
Now, with Assassin’s Creed Shadows failing to capture attention even on Steam—the largest PC gaming platform—it’s clear Ubisoft’s problems aren’t going away anytime soon.
For a company that once dominated the gaming landscape, today’s Steam numbers are a stark reminder of how far Ubisoft has fallen. Whether or not Shadows can recover through sales on other platforms remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: this launch is far from the comeback Ubisoft was hoping for.
How do you feel about Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ concurrent player count on Steam? Sound off in the comments below and let us know!
This article’s information is outdated. Devaluation of the euro has raised You Be Soft’s last reported debt amount €2.49 billion and that’s from a report on March 31 of last year; it has undoubtedly climbed since.
Their annual earnings from a report last month? €900 million, a 31.4% drop from the €1.21 billion nine months ago.
That drop alone would be sufficient cause to worry about the French developer’s ability to keep making money. But this game’s poor performance among the masses so far is the worst case scenario. We still have to wait and see how it’s doing in a week, a month, and even three months down the line.
It might rally back up, but that’s not looking likely. Everybody I’ve seen online and one person I talked to IRL said the game was boring, unbalanced, and has forced grinding after unlocking the third region. That’s not even including the awful writing and dialogue that’s bound to turn off more players.
They already know this will happen, so they deserve it
They cannot break 50k in Steam lmao
All this shows how corrupt the “media” (and YouTubers, etc.) are. The worst are those who dare to give a score of 100/100 (Metacritics is full of reviews paid for by Ubisoft), zero credibility.
What shocks me most is that despite all this evidence, some people (people who aren’t very enlightened, I think) still manage to defend this company and find the results excellent, the game magnificent, the best in the series, etc.
How can we hide our faces so much and live in denial?
I’m glad I knew video games when it was still a true “passion” (in the 70/80/90′) and not a “pa$$ion” for shareholders.
I haven’t given a cent to this type of company for years and that’s clearly not going to change any time soon.
[…] Credits Roll for Over Two Hours, Raising Questions About Ubisoft’s Bloated Spending ∟Assassin’s Creed Shadows Flops on Steam Launch Day, Fails to Break Into Top 30 Games as Access Med… ∟Articles claim they had 1 million players ∟They don’t appear to […]