Just in case there was any lingering doubt about the wild success of FromSoftware’s juggernaut Elden Ring series, today publisher Bandai Namco confirmed its DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree, has sold over 10 million copies, and its co-op spin-off title, Elden Ring Nightreign, five million.
The base game itself has now exceeded 30 million copies sold.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is a single-player DLC expansion for FromSoftware’s hit RPG featuring an all-new story set in the Realm of Shadow, complete with new weapons, items, enemies, and boss encounters.
We thought Shadow of the Erdtree was a ‘Masterpiece’, and awarded it a rare 10/10, writing in IGN’s Shadow of the Erdtree review: “Like the base game did before it, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree raises the bar for single-player DLC expansions. It takes everything that made the base game such a landmark RPG, condenses it into a relatively compact 20-25 hour campaign, and provides fantastic new challenges for heavily invested fans to chew on.”
The base game similarly received a 10/10 when we reviewed it on release back in February 2022, but Nightreign — another standalone adventure — didn’t fare quite as well, securing a ‘Good’ 7/10 in our Elden Ring Nightreign review. Nonetheless, Bandai reported that it sold more than 2 million copies in under 24 hours.
“When Elden Ring Nightreign is played exactly as it was designed to be played, it’s one of the finest examples of a three-player co-op game around – but that’s harder to do than it should be, and playing solo is poorly balanced,” we wrote at the time.
Earlier today, we reported that Sony has acquired a 2.5% stake in Elden Ring publisher Bandai Namco. Sony said the 16 million-share acquisition forms part of a broader “strategic partnership” with Bandai Namco and “will focus on expanding the fan community for IP such as anime and manga around the world and strengthening engagement.”
Perhaps unsurprisingly, then, yes, there’s an Elden Ring movie under way. Director Alex Garland recently revealed he’s currently on his seventh playthrough of the epic fantasy RPG, and still thinks “it’s Malenia who’s the tough one.”
Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world’s biggest gaming sites and publications. She’s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.
