Image: Bandai Namco
More content for Elden Ring is also in the works.
Elden Ring has taken no time at all to turn into one of Bandai Namco’s biggest successes to date. The publisher announced that FromSoftware’s latest open-world game has sold more than 20 million copies in less than a year from its release, which is no mean feat for a singleplayer game.
In case you’re wondering just how impressive these numbers are, consider that it took Dark Souls 3 four whole years to sell 10 million copies worldwide. As analyst Daniel Ahmad points out, Elden Ring has managed to double that number in less than a year. To be fair, the game is cutting it close - FromSoftware released Elden Ring on February 25, 2022 to an eruption of acclaim from fans and critics alike. Its one-year anniversary is just a few days away.
It’s been almost a year since launch, and sentiment around the game hasn’t changed very much. Elden Ring went on to pick up multiple awards at The Game Awards 2022 including Game of the Year, and still has several pending nominations from the DICE Awards and Game Developers Choice Awards this year. It’s safe to say that FromSoftware has a few more trophies waiting for collection in the months ahead.
FromSoftware has confirmed, however vaguely, that Elden Ring still has life ahead of it beyond the story campaign. The game dropped a sizeable multiplayer DLC that let PvP players duke it out in the Colosseum back in December, but staff from the game have come out to confirm that even more content for the game is in the works.
Whether or not this content comes in the form of an expansion - which we’re sure most fans would snap up in a heartbeat - is unconfirmed, but Bandai Namco reasserted today that more content is definitely coming… eventually:
The companies would like to thank everyone who has played this game from the bottom of their hearts, and will continue to develop various ways for the fans to enjoy the world of Elden Ring in the future.
Elden Ring’s success points to a larger victory for FromSoftware. It’s proof that the studio has become such a heavy hitter that players will turn up in jaw-dropping numbers for any game it has cooking in the Souls franchise, especially if they collaborate with popular creators like George R.R. Martin. The studio doesn’t have to bend to public fervour for a Bloodborne 2 or a sequel to Elden Ring - it can chart its own path without having to fear losing its audience.
Whether or not it can continue to bring in these numbers with games outside of the Souls franchise however, remains to be seen. This year, FromSoftware is releasing Armored Core 6, a sequel in a somewhat niche franchise that has lain dormant for quite some time. The studio is in very different shape today however, and their upcoming game could end up becoming a much bigger hit than expected.