Good morning!

Alright, I know what you’re thinking…

“Luke, Assassin’s Creed is doing well?” Yeah. I didn’t believe it either. We’re talking millions of players, massive revenue, and somehow... no Ubisoft disaster (yet).

Also this week, The Finals came back swinging with Season 6, some weird indie games exploded on Twitch, and someone finally said it’s okay to make a short game. Praise be.

In this edition, we’ve got:

• Ubisoft’s samurai saga is actually crushing it

• The Finals is smooth, chaotic, and dangerously addictive

• Twitch’s top games and the ones blowing up overnight

Here’s everything you need to know this week in the world of gaming.

TOP STORY

Assassin's Creed Shadows Is Quietly Dunking on Expectations

...and no one expected it to.

Alright, let’s get one thing straight: Assassin’s Creed Shadows wasn’t supposed to be this good. Or rather, it wasn’t supposed to do this well. Between all the internet drama, nine months of ragebait content, and Ubisoft’s general vibe of “what even is our strategy,” you'd think this game was headed straight for the clearance bin.

But surprise! The damn thing's actually doing numbers. Big ones.

By The Numbers:

• 2.2 million players in the first two days. That’s not sales, to be clear, but still a massive splash.

• On track for 6 million players in month one, which beats Odyssey and comes close to Valhalla, the current king of the franchise.

• Second highest day-one revenue in AC history, just behind Valhalla.

• Most wishlisted Ubisoft title ever.

• Best digital launch on PlayStation.

• Over 11 million Twitch watch hours in the first week.

Also: PC players finally got some love. Ubisoft finally launched on Steam day one, and guess what? It helped. Wild.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows is out here defying expectations, pulling in millions of players, and somehow not setting itself on fire in the process. But let’s cut through the hype… are you actually playing it?

So, What’s the Catch?

Ubisoft still has deep-rooted problems. One hit doesn’t erase years of corporate chaos, bad calls, and cloud saves mysteriously deleting themselves (still bitter). Investors want returns, not redemption arcs.

But Shadows proves something simple: Make a good game, people will show up.
Good mechanics, cool moments (like real-time melting snow… yes, seriously), and word-of-mouth virality? It works. Even if you’ve got a scandal or three in the rearview.

TL;DR:

Assassin’s Creed Shadows is outperforming expectations.
Despite the noise, the numbers don’t lie, and for once, Ubisoft didn’t trip over its own feet. Is it enough to save the company? No.
Is it enough to make people believe again in Assassin’s Creed? Absolutely.

Check out my video on it below 👇

LATEST NEWS

GENERAL

• Welp, that’s it… tourists just got themselves booted from Watazumi Shrine. Yeah, the same shrine Ghost of Tsushima fans literally saved with donations? It’s now off-limits thanks to one too many disrespectful clowns, including one “unforgivable” incident that finally broke the shrine’s patience. Moral of the story? Don't act like a main character at a sacred site, or you’ll get perma-banned from history.. (Automaton Media)

• Astro Bot’s director just said what every tired gamer’s been thinking: “It’s OK to make a small game.” And honestly? Preach, king. We’re drowning in 100-hour RPGs. We don’t need another side quest that feels like a part-time job. Small game, big win. Take notes, industry. (GamesRadar)

QUICK LINKS

• European Commission: games can no longer use virtual currencies to disguise the price of in-game purchases in the European Union..

• Silent Hill f has been pre-emptively banned in Australia, with no reason given for the 'refused classification' rating.

• Baldur's Gate 3 Karlach actor says CEOs "just want to save money" with AI: "It'll destroy their reputation, their company, everything".

• Ubisoft Roasts Elon Musk Over His Dubious PC Gaming Credentials.

LATEST VIDEO

Turns Out Blowing Up Buildings Is Still Fun

I jumped back into The Finals for Season 6 and... yeah, it kinda rules now. I bailed after launch (blame shiny new games), but the devs have clearly been putting in work. All the launch jank? Fixed. Performance is smooth, destruction physics are crisper, and you can still blow up half a building just to win a point (now without tanking your frame rate).

They’ve revamped the Las Vegas stadium to cut clutter, made Team Deathmatch a full-time 5v5 chaos mode, and overhauled Power Shift into a destruction-fueled tug-of-war. Buildings collapse, strategies shift mid-match, and it’s all just... fun as hell.

Also, I got to preview some of Season 6 early…

new weapons, new sponsors, tighter movement, and way fewer reasons to rage quit. Honestly, I’m annoyed at how much I like it again.

If you dropped The Finals, now’s the time to reinstall. It’s free, it’s chaotic, and it’s finally firing on all cylinders.

🎥 Check out the full (sponsored, but real talk) video right here 👇

WHAT’S TRENDING?

MOST POPULAR:

The Twitch throne is still firmly held by Just Chatting, even with a 📉 -6.7% drop this week. Gaming staples are holding the line, with GTA V and Counter-Strike climbing while LoL takes a hit.

🥇 Just Chatting – 62.5M hours watched (📉 -6.7%)
🥈 Grand Theft Auto V – 20.8M hours watched (📈 +1.3%)
🥉 Counter-Strike – 19.1M hours watched (📈 +14.3%)
🎮 League of Legends – 17.7M hours watched (📉 -25.1%)
🔫 VALORANT – 14.2M hours watched (📈 +33.2%)

TRENDING:

Here’s where things are getting spicy. Assassin’s Creed Shadows is exploding in popularity, and some lesser-known titles are charging up the charts.

🔥 Assassin’s Creed Shadows – +119.5% (Ubisoft’s comeback tour is real)
⚔️ The First Berserker: Khazan – +9,223% (yes, really)
🧪 Schedule I – +2,421% (don’t ask, just vibe)
🎯 VALORANT – +33.2% (still holding it down)
💥 Counter-Strike – +14.3% (classic chaos)

Note: These stats are based on total hours watched and week-over-week changes. Numbers are rounded for style, but the hype is very real.