Why was ELDEN RING a sales success? FromSoftware "has no idea"

Undoubtedly, one of the great releases of recent years is ELDEN RING, FromSoftware's masterpiece. Its positive reception from players and specialized critics translated into outstanding commercial performance. That said, its creators are unaware of why it became so popular.

ELDEN RING, the first open-world soulslike developed by the Japanese studio, debuted in early 2022 with tremendous success. It sold 12 million units in its first 3 weeks, and the latest report indicates that it has surpassed the milestone of 20 million units sold.

The dark fantasy title directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki received almost universal praise from professional critics and fans alike. In addition to winning the GOTY at The Game Awards 2022, it received over 300 awards. Currently, it holds an average rating of 96 on Metacritic.

FromSoftware has no idea why ELDEN RING sold so well

It is clear that the video game is a resounding success on all fronts. With this in mind, it's easy to assume that its creators are well aware of the key points that allowed them to surpass sales records and garner numerous positive reviews; however, it seems that the reality is different.

On December 1, the PlayStation Partner Awards 2023 Japan Asia took place, where FromSoftware won awards for ELDEN RING and ARMORED CORE VI: Fires of Rubicon. In an interview during the event, producer Yasuhiro Kitao reflected on the fantasy game and confessed that they are unaware of why it became so popular.

"We still haven't analyzed why so many people play the game, and we have no idea why it sells so well," said the producer.

Although ELDEN RING represented a turning point for FromSoftware, Yasuhiro Kitao denied that they would change their approach when creating new projects. He emphasized that they will continue to work on making games that are fun and meet their standards, rather than trying to chase success and replicate the reach of the 2022 launch.

"Making games that are fun and have value has been our policy for a long time, and we're not going to start aspiring to chase big hits like ELDEN RING. Our stance on creating games that we believe are fun and worthwhile will not change," commented Yasuhiro Kitao.

For now, we know that the first expansion Shadow of the Erdtree is in development, although its release date is a mystery. Meanwhile, a clue suggests that FromSoftware is recruiting personnel to work on new projects.

But tell us, did you give this title a chance? Let us hear from you in the comments.