Assassin’s Creed Shadows Crosses 5 Million Players, Claws of Awaji DLC Set for September

Assassin’s Creed Shadows Claws of Awaji DLC coming in September (Image Credit: Ubisoft)

Ubisoft has confirmed that Assassin’s Creed Shadows has officially surpassed 5 million players.

The news comes alongside fresh details about the game’s upcoming DLC, Claws of Awaji, which is now set to release in Q2 FY2025—targeting a September 2025 window.

Taking players to feudal Japan, Assassin’s Creed Shadows introduced dual protagonists Naoe and Yasuke and had a mixed launch, surrounded by pre-release controversy. Still, the game has slowly but steadily grown its player base. As per Ubisoft's official post on X (formerly Twitter), the milestone was accompanied by some fun stats—players have executed over 2 billion stealth kills, travelled 1 billion kilometers, and even managed to pet 38 million animals. A wholesome break from all the swordplay.

Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot addressed the game’s performance during the company’s latest earnings call, stating: “Assassin’s Creed Shadows delivered on its expectations, with now more than 5 million unique players since its launch.”

He also emphasized that the Claws of Awaji DLC will support the game’s momentum into the holiday season with more than 10 hours of new content.

However, it’s worth noting that Ubisoft did not disclose actual units sold. The 5 million figure includes anyone who launched the game—including users via Ubisoft+ and giveaways. While the number reflects reach, not every counted player represents a sale, which leaves questions around the game’s commercial success.

Still, Ubisoft seems committed to post-launch support. The upcoming Claws of Awaji expansion will introduce a brand-new narrative where players journey to the island of Awaji, just beyond Osaka Bay. Naoe and Yasuke will search for a powerful treasure critical to Japan’s future, all while facing a new enemy faction, the Sanzoku Ippa. This group of ruthless bandits will use ambushes and traps to test players' stealth and combat skills.

The DLC will also bring new gameplay mechanics, including a new weapon for Naoe—the Bō staff—along with fresh gear, abilities, and a variety of new skills to master.

Ubisoft has been steadily rolling out updates for Assassin’s Creed Shadows, including a recent patch that added Critical Role-inspired allies, a new quest, and several gameplay tweaks like Nightmare difficulty and more flexible visual settings. There’s also been a crossover event with Dead by Daylight earlier in May, showing Ubisoft’s commitment to keeping the Shadows universe dynamic.