Assassin’s Creed: Shadows is the second-best-selling game of the year in the US so far.
According to data from Circana, the game trails only Monster Hunter Wilds in the overall year-to-date charts in the US.
Circana’s Mat Piscatella noted that Assassin’s Creed: Shadows has been the best-selling game in the US for each of its first three weeks on the market.
While the game suffered a protracted development, which included several delays, strong reviews and positive player sentiment have seemingly turned the game into a modest hit for Ubisoft.
The game was a hit in the UK too, shifting more physical copies in one week than fellow Ubisoft game Star Wars: Outlaws managed in three months.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows is also the biggest physical launch of the year, ahead of Monster Hunter Wilds. According to data provided to VGC, Shadows was the series’ second-biggest launch ever.
The game, which launched on console and PC last week, marked the first major Ubisoft game to release day one on Steam since 2019. Previously, the publisher prioritized its own digital store, as well as the Epic Games Store, at launch.
In VGC’s Assassin’s Creed Shadows review we wrote: “With excellent gameplay, a compelling narrative and a massive, beautiful world to explore, it is so much better than many expected it to be.
“Even if it’s not the game that saves Ubisoft, it did exactly what it needed to, bringing confidence back to one of modern gaming’s biggest and most troubled franchises.”
Shadows also arrives during a pivotal moment for publisher Ubisoft. Following several underperforming releases and a worsening financial outlook, Ubisoft said in January it was taking “decisive steps” to reshape the company and “actively exploring various strategic and capitalistic options to unlock the full value potential” of its assets.
