Elden Ring launched almost three weeks ago, and it's still the only thing anyone seems to be talking about, even if you haven't been playing it. The latest Souls game has well and truly broken the cycle of a new game superseding whatever launched seven days prior, something Elden Ring appears to have done to Horizon Forbidden West. Despite the arrivals of Gran Turismo 7 and WWE 2K22 since it launched, everyone is still obsessed with Elden Ring.
Seeing countless tweets about it is one thing. How many copies Elden Ring manages to sell is something else entirely, and turns out it is doing incredibly well on that front too. A press release issued by FromSoftware has revealed Elden Ring has managed to sell more than 12 million copies in less than three weeks. One million of those were sold in Japan where the game was self-published by FromSoftware. It was published by Bandai Namco everywhere else.
Elden Ring director Hidetaka Miyazaki has issued a statement relaying how shocked and pleased he is by the success of Elden Ring. “It's astonishing to see just how many people have been playing Elden Ring... 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,” Miyazaki said.
The press release also makes mention of expanding the game, further evidence that perhaps Elden Ring will be getting DLC in the future. The chance to venture beyond the borders of The Lands Between, perhaps. Dataminers have already discovered a colosseum hidden in Elden Ring's code, hinting that the massive building might be a part of whatever FromSoftware has planned next for the hit game. Maybe we'll even see it adapted for other forms of media, as that seems to be the trend right now.
Whatever's coming next, FromSoftware needn't be in any hurry to roll it out. We have only just reached the point where most people playing have managed to make it past Elden Ring's first boss. As for players who have already mastered the game, as is commonplace with Souls games, they are already finding different ways to challenge themselves. The speedrun record is already under 30 minutes, and someone has managed to beat that first boss with a controller made of bananas.