Assassin’s Creed Shadows reached over 1 million players within 15 hours of its release, making it the top-selling game on Steam. Read on to learn more about the game’s successful launch and its day-one silent patch.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows Opens To A Successful Launch
With Over 1 Million Players
Assassin’s Creed Shadows (AC Shadows) saw a successful launch, reaching an impressive milestone on its first day since release. Ubisoft announced on AC Shadows’ official Twitter (X) account that the game has reached over 1 million players within 15 hours after launch.
As of writing, AC Shadows is now the top-selling game on Steam, beating out recently released popular games such as Monster Hunter Wilds and Split Fiction. According to SteamDB, AC Shadows has an all-time peak of 41,412 concurrent players back on March 20. The game is tagged as "Very Positive" in its reviews on Steam, with 82% of all reviews being positive.
Here at Game8, however, AC Shadows received an overall score of 66 out of 100 due to its mechanics needing further improvements and the game’s departure from the series’ standard. Regardless, it still delivered an expansive world with high production value. For more on our thoughts on Assassin’s Creed Shadows, check out our review below!
Assassin’s Creed Shadows Silent Day One Patch
Ubisoft has quietly released a day-one patch for AC Shadows, which revolves around making objects inside temples and shrines indestructible. IGN reached out to Ubisoft regarding this on March 20 and confirmed that the patch would not be publicly announced, seemingly pointing to the patch as a response to the controversy around the game.
This comes after an issue was raised that players can destroy certain objects within temples and shrines, which is a big no in Japanese culture. On March 19, the Prime Minister of Japan Shigeru Ishiba responded to a question regarding this feature in AC Shadows during an official government conference.
Hiroyuki Kada, a member of the House of Councillors of Japan, posed the question and stated, "I fear that allowing players to attack and destroy real-world locations in the game without permission could encourage similar behavior in real life. Shrine officials and local residents are also worried about this. Of course, freedom of expression must be respected, but acts that demean local cultures should be avoided."
Prime Minister Ishiba said that they would need to discuss this issue further with different ministries in Japan on how they will address this legally. He explained, "Defacing a shrine is out of the question - it is an insult to the nation itself. When the Self-Defense Forces were deployed to Samawah, Iraq, we ensured they studied Islamic customs beforehand. Respecting the culture and religion of a country is fundamental, and we must make it clear that we will not simply accept acts that disregard them."
Ubisoft has faced multiple issues about the game’s inaccuracies in depicting Feudal Japan, which they have responded to several times and even posted a long message to the Japanese community in July 2024. Most notably, they stated, "Despite these sustained efforts, we acknowledge that some elements in our promotional materials have caused concern within the Japanese community. For this, we sincerely apologize." According to Ubisoft, AC Shadows is not intended to be a factual representation of Japanese history but rather a "compelling, historical fiction."
Despite the issues and controversies that plague the game, AC Shadows continues to grow and experience success since its launch. Assassin’s Creed Shadows is now available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. To stay up to date with the latest information on Assassin’s Creed Shadows, check out our article below!
Source:
Assassin’s Creed Shadows Twitter (X) post on 1 Million Players Milestone
Assassin’s Creed Shadows SteamDB Charts
Assassins’ Creed Shadows Day 1 Patch Notes via IGN
Assassin’s Creed Shadows Twitter (X) post on Message for Japanese Community July 2024
