If we pretend that Pokémon does not exist, then Elden Ring is likely the biggest JRPG release ever. Elden Ring has sold over 12 million copies within two short weeks. That’s an astonishing number. Elden Ring is now one of the biggest and most bankable titles in gaming.
Elden Ring is now a Franchise
In a recent joint press release, Namco Bandai and FromSoftware confirmed that Elden Ring is now a franchise. In just two weeks, the game has outsold Dark Souls, Final Fantasy VII Remake, and even the 6-year-old Final Fantasy XV’s separate lifetime sales.
I would like to use this opportunity to give my thanks to all our fans who have brought “ELDEN RING” into their gaming life. I am very proud to have been involved in bringing such a wonderful and fantastic game to life with FromSoftware, under the guidance of Director Miyazaki, and with George R. R. Martin.
Much effort was placed into creating “ELDEN RING” so that we could exceed the expectations of our fans worldwide. In like manner, we will continue our efforts in expanding the brand beyond the game itself, and into everyone’s daily life.
We will continue to create enjoyment and fulfillment through entertainment, so that we can come closer and connect to our fans around the world. – President & CEO of BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Inc., Yasuo Miyakawa
Miyakawa’s statement hints at a bigger commercial horizon for the Elden Ring brand. Soon we might see a film, an animated series, and perhaps, toys based on the internal property. Again, 12 million units in two weeks is an outstanding number.
The Souls/Borne games used to do well commercially, but these games titles seemed to be stuck on a niche market of hardcore JRPG players that limited their commercial growth. Elden Ring completely shattered those limits, and it seems to have reached a crowd of gamers outside of Japan that typically didn’t play Japanese role-playing games.
In layman’s terms: Elden Ring is now a mainstream hit.
FromSoftware Turns into a Commercial Powerhouse
Over the last decade, since Demon’s Souls, FromSoftware has slowly but surely built itself into one of the most respectable Japanese developers. In fact, apart from Nintendo EAD, I can’t quite think of another Japanese developer that has consistently delivered quality titles in such fashion.
With Elden Ring FromSoftware has reached Nintendo EAD levels of award winning critical reception, and more importantly, the sales numbers to match it.
It’s astonishing to see just how many people have been playing “Elden Ring.”
I’d like to extend our heartfelt thanks on behalf of the entire development team.
“Elden Ring” is based on a mythological story written by George R. R. Martin. We hope players enjoy a high level of freedom when adventuring through its vast world, exploring its many secrets and facing up to its many threats.
Thank you for your continued support. – President & CEO/Director of FromSoftware, Inc., Hidetaka Miyazaki
It is highly probable we will see an Elden Ring 2 in the future.
Will Elder Ring Receive a Patch?
Elden Ring successfully translated the Souls’ formula into an open world, but there are technical issues that need to be resolved. We are still holding back our own review as we wait for a patch that stabilizes frame rate on next-generation consoles (Xbox Series X, and PS5).
There has been no word on such a patch, and the game continues to be poorly optimized across all systems. Many FromSoftware fans are already accustomed to the technical mishaps that have traditionally plagued the company’s games.
However, while I want to give the game a high score, I cannot hand it a 10 in its current state. Elden Ring’s visuals are last-generation fare in terms of texture work, lighting, pop-up and other features, yet the game runs terribly on new hardware.
A simple 30 fps cap on the game’s quality mode would do wonders, and there is no reason for the frame-rate mode to drop below 60fps.
With Namco Bandai’s newfound millions (product of Elden Ring’s sales) the company should hire staff (even western talent) to aid FromSoftware with the finer points of game optimization. FromSoftware is now Japan’s premier AAA JRPG developer (when was the last time Square Enix sold 12 million units of a single game?). It is time for the company to deliver in all areas.
Elden Ring is a fantastic game, but its performance (frame-rate) needs to be stabilized.
Editor’s Note: We have received some comments regarding the ‘non’ confirmation of a sequel, and we agree, it hasn’t been confirmed. But, Namco Bandai’s president made it clear that he intends to ride the Elder Ring’s wave of success beyond video games, and given how Dark Souls received three entries, it is a no brainer, at some point before the decade ends, there will likely be a sequel to Elden Ring.
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