Assassin's Creed Shadows looks like the success Ubisoft needed as it tops Steam charts
It needed a win

Assassin's Creed Shadows is the success story Ubisoft needs as it takes the number one spot on Steam's top sellers chart in multiple countries.
Assassin's Creed Shadows only came out yesterday, but it's already the top-selling Steam game in the US, UK, Brazil, Singapore, and more countries. The game's official Twitter account writes: "Excited to be back… Full Steam ahead! Thank you for your support, Assassins!"
Excited to be back… Full Steam ahead! 😊Thank you for your support, Assassins!#AssassinsCreedShadows #Steam pic.twitter.com/1J7z1jRvW4March 20, 2025
It's no surprise the game is doing so well considering Ubisoft tweeted that it had over one million players not even a full 24 hours after launching.
After the middling success of Star Wars Outlaws and the decision to shut down the live-service shooter XDefiant just months after it was released, Shadows needed to be a big win for Ubisoft. It was delayed several times so that the company could polish it and ensure it was to a high standard, and it seems like that was absolutely the correct decision, as reviews have been great too. In our own Assassin's Creed Shadows review, we said the game has "more confidence, texture, and purpose than we've seen since Assassin's Creed pivoted into RPG territory," and we've ranked it highly on our list of the best Assassin's Creed games, too.
Ubisoft is reportedly currently working on some sort of "IP unit" that would include franchises like Assassin's Creed. No one is actually sure exactly what this is yet, but with the success of Shadows, it should be easier for the company to convince investors to back its alleged plans.
These sales figures should also help appease shareholders, one of whom was reportedly planning a protest against the company's "horribly mismanaged" plans and "declining shareholder value." Ubisoft's stock did get a little bump earlier this month, but it's down year on year.
Shadows was discussed by the Prime Minister of Japan due to a controversy started by an Assassin's Creed Shadows preview that showed someone desecrating shrines in-game. There has since been a day-one patch that makes some of the objects within indestructible.
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I'm Issy, a freelancer who you'll now occasionally see over here covering news on GamesRadar. I've always had a passion for playing games, but I learned how to write about them while doing my Film and TV degrees at the University of Warwick and contributing to the student paper, The Boar. After university I worked at TheGamer before heading up the news section at Dot Esports. Now you'll find me freelancing for Rolling Stone, NME, Inverse, and many more places. I love all things horror, narrative-driven, and indie, and I mainly play on my PS5. I'm currently clearing my backlog and loving Dishonored 2.
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