The incredibly successful launch ofAssassin’s Creed Shadowshas continued well past its release date, with Ubisoft’s latest remaining on top of the U.S. sales chart for the third straight week. For 2025,Shadowsnow only trails the year’s biggest hit,Monster Hunter Wilds, which has beencrushing sales records for Capcomsince its release.
According toMat Piscatella(via Bluesky), an industry analyst at Circana,Assassin’s Creed Shadowshas ranked number one in dollar sales for each of the three weeks it has been available, through April 5, where available data ends. This notable run placesShadowsas 2025’s second highest-selling game behindMonster Hunter Wilds, which released nearly a month prior.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows Is Poised To Continue Its Dominance Through 2025
DLC & Upgrades Are On The Way
The blistering start toAssassin’s Creed Shadowsis impressive already, butthe series has proven to have legs in the past.Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, for instance, had multiple years of support, including five major story expansions.AC Shadowsis well on its way to the same treatment, with the10-hour-longClaws of AwajiDLCalready on the docket for later in 2025. It will include not only a new storyline, but a brand-new area to explore.
Aside from bespoke new content,Shadowsis also something of a work in progress. Alongside continuing updates to address bugs and tweak quality-of-life features,AC Shadowswas given a PS5 Pro upgrade, introducing PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR) for those who have Sony’s latest hardware. PSSR is an upscaling technology, similar to NVIDIA’s DLSS, that allows for better image quality at higher frame rates inAC Shadows' Balanced graphics setting.
Our Take: Assassin’s Creed Has A Promising Future After Shadows' Uncertainty
Investment From Tencent Will Help
Despite feudal Japan being a frequently requested setting for the long-running franchise to explore,there was some trepidation surroundingAssassin’s Creed Shadowsprior to its release. Multiple delays threw its technical quality into question, and somecontroversy surroundingAC Shadows' historical accuracy– despite the series' long and obvious tenure as historical fiction – made for a tense launch, which only exacerbated discussions about Ubisoft’s financial future.
FollowingAC Shadows' generally positive reviews, though,Ubisoft announced a new subsidiary with significant investment from Tencent. The new branch will oversee the development of Ubisoft’s major franchises:Assassin’s Creed,Far Cry, andTom Clancy’s Rainbow Six(otherTom Clancy’sseries remain outside Tencent’s purview). The transaction and subsequent restructuring aren’t expected to take place until later in 2025, but followingAssassin’s Creed Shadowssuccess, it would appear the series is in a safe place to continue its consistent and profitable output.
Source:Mat Piscatella/Bluesky
Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Set during Japan’s Sengoku period, two distinct protagonists—Naoe, a shinobi, and Yasuke, a historical African samurai—must navigate political intrigue and violent clashes between the Assassins and Templars. Players can switch between stealthy, shadow-based gameplay with Naoe and Yasuke’s direct combat approach, exploring the duality of their missions in a beautifully rendered open world.
