Valhalla Claims The Crown as Best Selling Assassin’s Creed
With over 155 million Assassin’s Creed games sold since 2007, Ubisoft boasts one of gaming’s most successful franchises year after year. And now the latest entry, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, has carved out a sales milestone of its own—officially surpassing $1 billion lifetime revenue to become the highest grossing release in series history.
Valhalla Rules as Top Selling AC Title
While Ubisoft hasn’t publicized exact unit sales, Valhalla crossing $1 billion in revenue just over a year after launch shows its dominance. For context, previous record holder Assassin’s Creed III moved 12 million copies in its first 16 months back in 2012/2013.
And Valhalla still has momentum: players invested a record 140 million hours during 2021 per Ubisoft, besting fan favorites like 2018’s Odyssey.
Several factors continue driving this commercial success:
- Huge game length satisfying fans’ appetite for content
- Regular updates adding new story arcs and gear
- Strong critical reviews praising its accessibility features and refined RPG elements
- Expanded audiences on Xbox Game Pass exposing AC to new fans
We can visualize Valhalla’s growth trajectory by charting its sales milestones against past top sellers:
[insert chart]This pace even impress industry watchers, with some predicting Valhalla will ultimately double the sales of previous record holder AC III before its run ends.
Ezio Trilogy As Franchise Cornerstone
While Valhalla and recent entries grab headlines today, we cannot gloss over the seminal impact of the Ezio trilogy on the Assassin‘s Creed franchise as a whole.
Beginning with 2009‘s smash hit Assassin’s Creed II, Ezio Auditore‘s saga fundamentally transformed the AC blueprint into what we know today.
Some keys to success:
- Deeper parkour/combat systems expanding player options
- Renaissance Italy proving wildly popular historical backdrop
- Most robust narrative yet with film-quality acting and cutscenes
- Introduction of charismatic fan-favorite Ezio characters
These elements propelled AC II to over 9 million sales, garnering Game of the Year nods from press and players alike. Ubisoft smartly continued Ezio‘s journey in follow-ups Brotherhood and Revelations, keeping players invested in his life story across decades.
Odyssey, Origins, Syndicate – Keys To Broadening Appeal
While the Ezio trilogy cetmented AC’s core pillars, recent titles showcase Ubisoft expanding gameplay and narratives to attract wider audiences:
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey took full advantage of modern hardware with a sprawling ancient Greek open world, full dialogue trees for greater roleplaying freedom, and up to 150 hours of content—the most yet for the franchise. These features brought fresh energy after some felt previous entries had grown stale.
Assassin’s Creed Origins revamped combat, gearing, and even eagle vision into an intuitive RPG-esque progression system. These changes helped AC compete in a shifting industry landscape where live service elements and deeper customization were becoming norms.
Assassin’s Creed Syndicate broke new ground with its dual protagonists, Jacob and Evie Frye. Playing as Evie highlighted broader shifts for female representation in gaming and expanding AC’s accessibility to players of all backgrounds.
Ezio Leads The Pack As Fan Favorite
When polling franchise fans on their favorite assassins or historical settings, certain names dominate year after year:
Topping fan charts again comes Ezio Auditore. His swashbuckling bravado yet profound sense of duty resonates widely. Overall 93% of fans enjoyed his trilogy more than any AC arc before or since per Ubi forums.
Edward Kenway from AC IV: Black Flag places high as well. Critics praised Black Flag’s brilliant shift focusing on open seas piracy and exploration.
The Road Ahead – What‘s Next for AC?
Finally, all eyes turn toward the future. Just what lies in store next for Assassin‘s Creed after Valhalla‘s record-shattering run?
Ubisoft already revealed their bold vision: Assassin’s Creed Infinity, a massive platform aiming to unify future AC experiences including live services and free-to-play options.
- Past AC narratives and worlds connected via shared universe
- Multiplayer/community-focused services
- In-game events and crossover content updates
This model represents a major shift from standalone single-player titles. While ambitious, Ubisoft believes it may best capitalize on AC‘s depth while keeping pace with industry trends.
No matter what direction lies ahead, with over 155 million sales to date the Assassin’s Creed clearly has its blade pressed against the pulse of players worldwide for years to come.
