Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Breaks Series’ Launch Record

Ubisoft has announced that Norse-themed Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, which launched on November 10, sold more copies in its first week than any other Assassin’s Creed title. That distinction was previously held by 2012’s Assassin’s Creed III, which initially released on PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 before being ported to PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch beginning in 2018. The announcement was made via PR provided to Push Square.

The announcement also came with some neat statistics: players have unlocked more than 55 million settlement buildings and won over 3.5 million Orlog dice games since launch, and more than 1.8 million players have won at least one drinking game. The Viking adventure also includes a variety of other in-game activities, including flyting and fishing.

Ubisoft is obviously thrilled with the record-breaking sales of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, but a segment of franchise fans probably aren’t as enthusiastic. The series changed dramatically with the release of 2017’s Assassin’s Creed Origins, which introduced a much larger map, a bevy of side quests and activities, and in-depth RPG mechanics. Some fans have lamented the series’ evolution since then and claim that it no longer follows the stealth action formula that was last featured in 2015’s Assassin’s Creed Syndicate. With the continued commercial and critical success of the series since its gameplay overhaul, it seems unlikely that Ubisoft will develop an entry that resembles the pre-Origins titles that some fans long for.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is now available on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Google Stadia, and Amazon Luna. The new generation console versions avoided the next-gen price hike and launched at $60, while PS4 and Xbox One players can upgrade their copies within the same console family at no extra charge.