Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc and FromSoftware have said in a joint release that fantasy game Elden Ring has become their biggest selling title with 23 million copies sold.
In comparison to other intellectual property from Bandai Namco and From Software, Dark Soul’s entire franchise sold 33.4 million units in total. However, some credit needs to be given to the precursor to this newest entrant in the Souls-like series, as it laid the foundation for Elden Ring to be a global success story for both companies.
The title’s spectacular sales were revealed off the back of the Shadow of the Erdrtree downloadable content (DLC) announcement to fans this week via X:
In the Land of Shadow, Miquella awaits the return of his promised Lord.
Pre-order #ELDENRING Shadow of the Erdtree: https://t.co/X4NyBsLYRC pic.twitter.com/8RTCCxFYUa
— ELDEN RING (@ELDENRING) February 21, 2024
Check out our review of the contents laid out, including the pre-order rewards of Ring of Miquella, a Collector’s Edition with a 40-page hardcover artbook, a 46cm statue of Messmer the Impaler, and the game’s soundtrack.
What is Elden Ring?
The action role-playing game is set in the Lands Between, a varied expanse ruled over by Demi-Gods who thirst for the shattered fragments of the Elden Ring, a relic that brings order and control.
The gameplay is iconic of the Dark Souls and Bloodborne titles that had critical acclaim across multiple consoles and PC. The lumbering and often brutally stark worlds have gained a reputation for taking no prisoners when it comes to combat mechanics. So players have to save their progress via milestones represented by bonfires and lanterns intermittently placed between hordes of evil monsters.
Handing the title over
Bandai Namco officially handed over the rights to the Elden Ring franchise last week in a move that sees the 23 million selling title then become the property of From Software entirely.
In just under two years since its release on 25 February 2022, the game has amassed a loyal following eager for this new DLC and still continues to attract new players. So future installments of this franchise will have a heavily invested community that will be eager for more tales of this brutal medieval land.
In related Elden Ring news, a sequel might not be in the works, but rumors abound of Tencent planning a mobile adaptation of the Lands Between. We reported earlier this month that the Chinese tech giant had snapped up the rights to produce a title and had placed “a few dozen people” on developing it.
