Assassin’s Creed Shadows reminds Ubisoft why day 1 Steam release is important for PC Gamers

Prior to Assassin’s Creed Shadows, the last few Assassin’s Creed titles launched exclusively on Ubisoft Connect, with their Steam releases arriving later. However, with Shadows, the studio finally made a long-awaited return to day one release on Steam, and the results speak for themselves. Within just two days, Shadows has already surpassed 2 million players across all platforms, making it the fastest-growing RPG entry in the franchise.

It has even outpaced the early player engagement of Assassin’s Creed Origins and Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, both of which had strong launches. Clearly, Ubisoft’s decision to bring Shadows to Steam was a good move.

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Assassin’s Creed Shadows: Why Steam release matters for Ubisoft

Ubisoft's recent history has been rough, to say the least. The studio was financially flailing, the stock value was declining, and the company had put out several failed games. After pouring resources into XDefiant — which launched in May 2024 and was shut down within a few months — and making disastrous investments in NFTs, Ubisoft desperately needed a win. That is when Assassin's Creed Shadows stepped in.

Ubisoft pushed the game back several times, moving it from November 2024 to February 2025 so that it could be finished and ready. This was a wise decision, as the company couldn't afford another rushed launch. More importantly, they needed Shadows to succeed after a disastrous 2024, and a day-one Steam release proved to be quite helpful.

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Why the Steam release boosted sales

For PC gamers, Steam has always been much more than just a storefront. It's where they build a collection, follow their progress, track achievements, and stay connected with friends all on a single client. When a big game like Assassin's Creed releases outside of Steam, it disrupts that ecosystem, causing a lot of players to opt out of a day-one purchase.

This time, Ubisoft got it right. Shadows launched directly on Steam, making it easier for players to jump in without any extra hassle. The convenience of keeping all games in one place, accessing cloud saves, and automatically updating the game without switching clients played a significant role in the title’s immediate success.

Of course, part of Shadows’ massive success is also due to the Japan setting, which fans have demanded for quite some time now. But Steam’s accessibility and social features made a huge difference, proving that Ubisoft's past strategy of skipping Steam releases was a costly mistake.

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Check out more articles on AC Shadows:

• Assassin’s Creed Shadows hands-on preview: A leap of faith into a (hopefully) promising future
• Assassin's Creed Shadows crosses 2,000,000 players at launch, surpassing previous RPG titles in the franchise
• Where to find all Miki Castle Samurai Daishos in Assassin's Creed Shadows (rewards and more)
• How to retrieve the Kanzashi in AC Shadows
• Where to find all Amagasaki Castle Samurai Daishos in Assassin's Creed Shadows (rewards and more)
• How to obtain the Wave of Wasps Teppo in Assassin's Creed Shadows