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Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed Shadows Achieves 2 Million Player Milestone
Gaming giant Ubisoft has announced that its highly anticipated title, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, has garnered 2 million players since its launch. This player count, as reported by Ubisoft, surpasses the initial player numbers seen with previous franchise entries such as Assassin’s Creed Origins in 2017 and Assassin’s Creed Odyssey in 2018. However, the definition of “players” in today’s gaming landscape requires closer examination, especially considering the evolving distribution models for video games.
Understanding the “Player” Metric in 2024
While reaching 2 million players is a significant achievement, the “players” metric offers a partial view of the game’s actual market performance in the contemporary gaming industry. When Assassin’s Creed Origins and Odyssey were released, Ubisoft’s subscription service, Ubisoft+, was not yet available.
The Influence of Ubisoft+ Subscription Service
Currently, for a monthly fee of $18, Ubisoft+ subscribers gain access to new Ubisoft releases, including Assassin’s Creed Shadows, on both PC and Xbox platforms right at launch. Consequently, a portion of the 2 million “players” may represent subscribers rather than individual game purchases. This subscription access model inflates the player count beyond traditional sales figures.
Game Sharing and its Impact on Player Numbers
Furthermore, the reported “players” statistic potentially includes individuals who are accessing the game through shared copies. Features like PlayStation 5’s digital game-sharing functionality enable multiple users to play a single purchased copy. This means that the 2 million player figure could encompass players who have not individually purchased the game, further diluting the correlation between player count and copies sold.
Looking Beyond Player Numbers to Assess Performance
Therefore, the “players” metric publicized by Ubisoft provides an incomplete picture of Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ commercial success. To gain a more comprehensive understanding of the game’s performance, a deeper analysis is necessary to investigate actual sales estimates, particularly on platforms like Steam and PlayStation, providing insights beyond just the number of players.