‘Assassin’s Creed Odyssey’ Sees Player Surge After Release of ‘The Odyssey’

Ancient Greece is once again in the spotlight, and this time it’s not due to a new game launch or a flashy remaster. Christopher Nolan’s latest film has unexpectedly become a powerful marketing tool for the nearly eight-year-old Ubisoft title, and the statistics are impressive.

‘The Odyssey,’ Nolan’s adaptation of Homer’s classic epic, debuted in theaters on July 17 and has been a hot topic at the box office ever since. However, what’s surprising is the impact it’s had beyond the cinema, particularly in the gaming community.

This impact is quantifiable: ‘Assassin’s Creed Odyssey’ has experienced a 90 percent rise in players following the release of ‘The Odyssey’ movie, according to data from Alinea Analytics. The total daily active users nearly doubled across console and PC platforms within ten days of the film’s release, jumping from 122,000 on the opening day to 233,000.

A closer look at the platform breakdown reveals an even more intriguing narrative regarding the source of this surge. Xbox led the charge with a 134% increase, rising from 36,000 to 84,000 daily active users, while PlayStation nearly doubled its figures to 114,000 active players. Steam, on the other hand, saw a more modest 26% growth.

The disparity between console and PC growth is not coincidental. The majority of the player increase came from PlayStation and Xbox, largely because the RPG is available on PS Plus and Xbox Game Pass. This means that moviegoers inspired by Nolan’s epic could dive straight into ancient Greece without needing to make a purchase.

Rhys Elliott from Alinea Analytics, who spearheaded the research for the report, indicated that subscription access was a key factor behind the console-specific surge. He linked the increase in console players to the availability of ‘Assassin’s Creed Odyssey’ on both Game Pass and PlayStation Plus.

It’s important to note that ‘Assassin’s Creed Odyssey’ and ‘The Odyssey’ are not narrating the same tale. The 2018 game follows a descendant of Spartan King Leonidas as they navigate a fictionalized version of ancient Greece, distinct from Nolan’s interpretation of Homer’s poem. However, the shared setting and mythological elements seem to have intrigued viewers enough to encourage them to pick up their controllers.

Ubisoft appears to have capitalized on this moment without extensive marketing efforts. The publisher’s promotion was minimal, primarily consisting of a few social media posts linking the game to the film, yet engagement numbers soared, indicating that the connection between these two ancient Greek narratives was compelling enough to resonate with audiences.

Sales figures haven’t seen a dramatic shift compared to engagement, with industry trackers reporting the game has sold around 400,000 copies year-to-date, a modest figure relative to the spike in daily active users. This discrepancy suggests that the resurgence is largely driven by existing subscribers rediscovering a game they already had access to, rather than new purchasers.

Nonetheless, these numbers provide Ubisoft with valuable insights beyond a temporary traffic increase. Industry analysts suggest that this renewed interest could serve as useful data if the company ever considers a remake similar to its recent ‘Assassin’s Creed’ remaster projects, as a movie-driven demand spike indicates that the appetite for this specific setting remains strong.

For a game approaching its eighth anniversary, this kind of organic revival is a rare opportunity, one that Ubisoft didn’t have to chase with a marketing budget. Sometimes, all it takes is a blockbuster film to redirect audiences back to a world that was already waiting for them.

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