Ubisoft’s $2.1 Million Leaked Influencer Campaign for Assassin’s Creed Shadows

Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed Shadows, released on March 20, 2025, marked a significant moment for the storied franchise, bringing players into the visually stunning and historically rich setting of feudal Japan. With a development budget speculated to range between $250 million and $350 million, the game was a high-stakes project for a company facing financial pressures and a shifting industry landscape. A key part of its promotional strategy involved a $2.1 million investment in influencer marketing, a move that has sparked discussion about its scale, effectiveness, and the broader implications for Ubisoft’s approach to launching a AAA title.

According to a LinkedIn post by Nick Lombardi of Streamforge, a company specializing in influencer marketing, Ubisoft allocated $2.1 million to engage content creators across platforms like Twitch, YouTube, TikTok, and others to promote Assassin’s Creed Shadows. This campaign reportedly generated 179.4 million views and 11.9 million sponsored views, with Twitch accounting for 55% of the budget, approximately $1.08 million. Among the top creators, Twitch streamer HasanAbi (Hasan Piker) allegedly received $76,510 for his participation, making him one of the highest-paid influencers in the campaign. Other platforms, such as YouTube and TikTok, contributed to the remaining budget, though specific breakdowns for individual creators beyond Hasan remain less detailed.

While Ubisoft has not officially confirmed these figures, the numbers align with industry norms for a game of this magnitude. Marketing budgets for AAA titles often range from 20% to 50% of development costs, placing Shadows’ total marketing spend potentially between $50 million and $150 million. If accurate, the $2.1 million influencer budget represents a modest but targeted slice of that pie, reflecting a strategic turn toward digital creators over traditional advertising like TV spots or print campaigns.

Why influencers?

Influencer marketing has become a basis of modern game promotion, leveraging the trust and reach of popular streamers and content creators to connect with audiences in an authentic way. For Assassin’s Creed Shadows, this approach made sense given the game’s long development cycle and the need to generate buzz after multiple delays, from an initial November 2024 release to February 2025, and finally to March. These delays, which added an estimated €20 million to the budget according to Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot, heightened the pressure to ensure a strong launch.

The $2.1 million influencer campaign for the game was a calculated bet, one that delivered visibility but left its direct contribution to the game’s success unclear. For a franchise with such built-in recognition, the investment may have been less about driving sales and more about shaping perception during a turbulent rollout. As Ubisoft navigates its financial future, the question remains: could those funds have been better spent elsewhere, or was this a necessary play in an era where digital voices increasingly dictate a game’s fate? Only time and Ubisoft’s next earnings report will tell the full story. For now, Shadows stands as a testament to both the power of its brand and the complexities of modern marketing in gaming. If you’re a fan of the franchise, you can also check out the best price for Assassin’s Creed Mirage with our comparator.