Bandai Namco and From Software have announced that Elden Ring has topped 12 million sales worldwide. This news comes as Bandai Namco says it wants to "expand" the Elden Ring IP beyond the game, although it doesn't indicate what that might entail.
Why are these Elden Ring sales numbers so high?
After launching on February 24th, Elden Ring sales have been through the roof. In a press release, From Software and Bandai Namco announce that the game has topped 12 million sales around the world and across all platforms, with a million sales in the studios' native country of Japan. According to a GSD market report, Elden Ring is the biggest new IP launch since 2016's The Division, comfortably achieving the number one spot in February software sales. We've come a long way since that first gameplay trailer emerged last June.
From Software head Hidetaka Miyazaki describes the news as "astonishing" and thanks fans for enjoying the game, which was co-created alongside A Song of Ice and Fire author George R.R. Martin. For his part, Bandai Namco CEO Yasuo Miyakawa says he's "very proud" to have been involved in Elden Ring, and that he wants to expand the Elden Ring brand beyond the core game and "into everyone's daily life". It's not entirely clear what that means, but expect lots of Elden Ring-themed merchandise in the future.
The two men are right to be proud; the Dark Souls series didn't manage to sell 12 million copies cumulatively until after the release of Dark Souls 3, but Elden Ring has achieved that with just one game to its name. Of course, some might argue Elden Ring isn't really a new IP; it shares a lot of similarities with Dark Souls (as well as several other old-school From Software properties) and even features some of the same enemies and animations Dark Souls does. Still, Elden Ring doesn't take place in the same world and doesn't share a mythology with Dark Souls, so for practical (and legal) purposes, it's a new IP.
What is Elden Ring?
Elden Ring is the latest dark fantasy action RPG by From Software. Unlike that company's flagship series Dark Souls, Elden Ring is a fully open-world game, although it does feature several "Legacy Dungeon" locations that resemble the interconnected areas of previous Souls games. In Elden Ring, you play as a Tarnished, and it's your goal to travel through the Lands Between, battling demigods and solving the mystery of the titular Elden Ring. If you're a Souls veteran, you'll recognize many of the Souls series' hallmarks, including the somewhat controversial lack of a pause button (although there is a somewhat sneaky way to fix this).
You can pick up Elden Ring right now on PC, PlayStation consoles, and Xbox platforms. The Lands Between can be incredibly unforgiving to new players, so if you've just got the game and you're not sure where to start, be sure to take a look at our beginner's guide. Here's hoping that the runaway success of the game prompts From Software and Bandai Namco to revisit it for another game in future. Now if you'll excuse us, we're off to bang our heads against Godrick's axe a few more times.
