Elden Ringis fast becoming one of gaming’s greatest commercial hits – at least in recent memory. FromSoftware’s ambitious open world take on theDark Soulssubgenre of action RPGs has captivated both critics and players alike, amassing a wide audience across all of its platforms. The success ofElden Ringis not merely restricted to its immense popularity, as the game’s critical acclaim has also madeElden Ringone of the highest rated Metacritic gamesof all time.
Taking all these factors into account, it’s not at all a remarkable outcome thatElden Ringis one of the best-selling video games in the United States for 2022. Despite launching against other heavyweight titles such asHorizon: Forbidden West,Elden Ringhas managed to outsell against all competition, and according to the results analyzed and put forward by the NPD group,Elden Ringis the best-selling video game in February this year – despite releasing at the end of the month.
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Yet perhaps the most intriguing results from NPD’s market research concern the wayElden Ringstacks up against titles that came out in the span of the last year. In its launch month, onlyCall of Duty: Vanguardsold more copies compared toElden Ring, and overall,Elden Ringis the fifth best-selling game in the past twelve months – yet given thatElden Ringlaunched on February 25th, and NPD’s sales were collected up to February 26th – it means thatElden Ringaccomplished all this in just a bit more over a day.
Across platforms, it is the top-seller for the month of February on both PC and Xbox, with the Playstation exclusiveHorizon: Forbidden Westoutperforming it on its respective console. Given the strong word-of-mouth the game has had, backed by its popularity on Twitch, as well as its universal critical acclaim,Elden Ringis in a position to have very strong financial legs – asElden Ringhas already sold over 10 million copieson PC in just a week since its release.
There is little doubt thatElden Ringis FromSoftware’s biggest Steam launchin history, having reached 600k concurrent players merely an hour after the game’s premiere. The implications ofElden Ring’scommercial and critical success are simple: players can expect moreDark Soulsinspired open world games in the near future. Whether they will be any good is another matter entirely, but withStarfieldon the way in November 11th, those in pursuit of a more casual open world experience will be able to sink their claws deep into Bethesda’s next single-player sandbox.
