For nearly three years, Fromsoft’s new game, Elden Ring, has been a critical and commercial success. It took the best parts of the original Dark Souls games and brought them into an open-world setting. Furthermore, the game’s DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree, gave fans everything they’ve come to expect from their DLC.

Recently, the game passed a momentous milestone by outselling the entirety of the Dark Souls trilogy. Those familiar with the franchise’s legacy should know why this is such a momentous occasion.

Elden Ring’s Latest Milestone

According to IGN, Elden Ring’s sales surpassed a huge milestone, as it managed to outsell the entirety of the Dark Souls trilogy, its main inspiration, by about a million. At over 28 million sales worldwide, it managed to singlehandedly outdo the three bestselling Dark Souls games, their DLC, and their re-releases. For reference, these numbers also put Elden Ring on the same scale as other giants like Breath of the Wild and Hogwarts Legacy.

In many ways, Elden Ring was the summation of everything director Hidetaka Miyazaki and the rest of his talented team learned from over a decade of creating Soulsborne games. The bosses, world design, and abilities are all tuned to perfection, while the open-world setting provides hundreds of hours of adventures. It even won Game of the Year at the 2022 Game Awards.

This wouldn’t be the last time a popular RPG received a successful spiritual successor. One similar contemporary example was the equally acclaimed Metaphor: Refantazio from Atlus, which reimagined the Persona series as a surprisingly original high fantasy epic. These success stories demonstrate how a popular game’s formula can be reimagined for a new IP.

The Dark Souls Series

The Dark Souls trilogy went down as one of the definite action RPG franchises of the 2010s. The games followed a lone, undead warrior navigating a dead world and facing off against fallen gods. They were infamous for their challenging and punishing difficulty, which rewarded players for their perseverance and willingness to improve. The fact that Elden Ring could outsell such a massive trilogy demonstrates its monumental impact.

The “Soulsborne” saga created several other titles outside the main trilogy, including the gothic Bloodborne and the Bhuddist-inspired Sekiro. Before the rest, the first official “Souls” game was the 2011 hit Demon’s Souls, which many fans considered a prototype for the later franchise. However, acclaimed director Hidetaka Miyazaki had already established that III’s conclusive ending would finish the trilogy, but he was far from done.

FromSoftware’s Status

Across nearly a dozen classics, FromSoftware established itself as one of the most respected developers worldwide. Elden Ring’s triumph shows gamers that FromSoftware is far from done and that they can use their time-honored formula in new genres. Dark Souls was such an awe-inspiring hit that it spawned an entire genre, “Soulslike.” While many failed impersonators, such as Lords of the Fallen, others, such as Code Vein and Lies of P, saw more success.

Furthermore, the team ensured the Elden Ring saga would continue. During the Game Awards, FromSoftware and Bandai Namco announced Elden Ring: Nightreign, a multiplayer spinoff of the original saga. Given that the game features several crossovers and characters from the original trilogy, this could keep the series’ proverbial flame going. As players crossing between worlds has always been a central mechanic of Souls games, making a full game around this mechanic should be interesting.

Conclusion

The Dark Souls series set a high standard for action RPGs, and Elden Ring’s sales and acclaim have proven it a worthy successor. The massive game became one of the most acclaimed by its developer and the entire open-world genre. Its DLC, with its deeper lore and greater challenges, further established the game’s legacy.

Elden Ring rose above the rest to become a modern classic in an age filled with failed reboots and imitations. From the day it was announced, the successor was destined to reach the heights of its predecessor. With Nightreign on the way, it could further cement the franchise as a household name.