FromSoftware’s Elden Ring Nightreign is finally available on all platforms, and despite the mixed opinions (at least on Steam, which we’ll discuss), it’s performing very well. In less than 24 hours, the developer announced over 2 million digital sales and shipments worldwide. Considering Shadow of the Erdtree sold over five million in three days (Elden Ring crossed 13 million in less than three weeks), that’s pretty impressive.
However, it’s also nuts for a multitude of other reasons. Right out of the gate, FromSoft advertises that this isn’t a typical Elden Ring experience, though the name undoubtedly carries some marketing appeal. It’s a rogue-like game where players embark on runs over three days to slay one of the eight Nightlords. It’s unapologetic about utilizing mechanics from battle royale titles. The slowly enclosing ring, hero characters (the Nightfarers), limited slots for weapons and consumables, and even the modest pining (even if it’s not as fully fleshed out).
Revealing the true scale of a rogue-like without going into spoilers is challenging, but it also did a decent job highlighting the size of Limveld, how it changes between runs, the different bosses, and so on. Even the build crafting strikes a balance between experimenting with different weapons and picking up loot for their passives.
And even on Steam, which has a “Mixed” rating with about 66 percent of the 15,958 user reviews giving it the thumbs up, Nightreign saw some impressive launch numbers, nearly peaking at 314,000 concurrent players.
Of course, the reasons for that rating are pretty relatable. Lack of duos. No in-game voice chat (or any way to communicate past the emotes). FromSoftware even issued a warning that those with the latest GPUs on PC may see frame rate drops. The solo experience is also painful due to the lack of scaling, but next week’s patch will improve some things.
Nevertheless, it’s an incredible success, perhaps selling better than many expected. While some success was expected, especially since it was third in Steam’s global best-selling charts before launch, even I was surprised to see it cross two million in less than a day (because it’s always a toss-up whether players will accept or outright reject multiplayer games). However, the development team’s approach was seemingly on track from the beginning – not opting for live service and selling at a mid-tier price ($39.99) has seemingly done wonders.
You don’t need to log in for daily rewards, participate in limited-time events, and, best of all, no microtransactions. Play the game and beat all the bosses, maybe on all the characters, though it’s not mandatory. Then you’re pretty much done. While I wonder how this will impact matchmaking in the long run, especially the lack of crossplay, the additional DLC this year may provide a decent bump before the developer focuses on something else.
Of course, the success of Elden Ring Nightreign also makes me question whether FromSoftware won’t delve more into these kinds of multiplayer-only experiences in the future.
To clarify, many of the developer’s titles over the past several years – the entire Dark Souls trilogy, Bloodborne, Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon, and Elden Ring – offer co-op, PvP or both. However, they’ve always primarily focused on a linear single-player narrative. The multiplayer components are all optional. With Nightreign, it’s solo play, which feels like the off-beat choice, and not in a good way, given how the gameplay emphasizes quickly clearing out enemies and acquiring loot to stand a chance against bosses. I noted in my review how clumsy this felt even during Remembrances when fighting special Elite enemies for personal objectives.
After The Duskbloods’ announcement for Nintendo Switch 2, one of the biggest questions is whether FromSoft will focus more on multiplayer games in the future. It was the second multiplayer-only title announced by the studio, after all. However, director and president Hidetaka Miyazaki clarified that it doesn’t mean the company has “decided to shift to a more multiplayer-focused direction with titles going forward.” “We still intend to actively develop single-player focused games such as [Elden Ring] that embrace our more traditional style,” he said.
However, that was before Elden Ring Nightreign launched and before its massive success, which should likely grow in the coming months. It doesn’t mean the studio is pulling a Bungie, but by all accounts, Nightreign is an experiment. Director Junya Ishizaki was unsure how it would pan out in the long term and that it would “tell us how players feel about this kind of game and this kind of new challenge for us.” You could argue about the “Mixed” reception but sales talk, even for a game with valid complaints.
And it’s not like this will be a fluke. The Duskbloods introduces a new world and characters but also adds on PvP and new mechanics, like marking others as companions or rivals and changing one’s blood history. It’s also a FromSoftware title exclusive to the Switch 2. If Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition becomes successful, you can bet that The Duskbloods will also succeed. It may even encourage a sizable number of players to pick up the Switch 2 to play it.
All that said, FromSoftware isn’t one to chase trends. Even as multiplayer titles failed left and right over the years, it still went ahead with Nightreign and The Duskbloods. Instead of working on another Dark Souls or Bloodborne (which fans still clamor for), it released Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, a vastly different experience that still retained the signature FromSoft feel. And even after the massive success of Elden Ring, its next project was Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon, the first mainline title in that franchise in nearly 10 years.
Not every project has been a winner – raise your hand if Déraciné rings any bells – but the developer is very much one that does its own thing, trends be damned. Even if it does opt for more multiplayer-focused games in the future, I could see it taking an approach similar to Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and Yakuza. The mainline Like a Dragon titles have embraced a turn-based combat system, while spin-offs like Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii and The Man Who Erased His Name stick to real-time action. Then you have brand new series like Judgment and the upcoming Project Century.
Perhaps the most important takeaway is that despite complaints of FromSoft exploiting the Elden Ring name and reusing assets (forgetting the other titles it’s done this with over many years), it didn’t dump all its resources into Nightreign. Takahashi said it was developed in a “short time span,” though it was “a challenge.”
It’s likely budgeting more for The Duskbloods, but even that likely wouldn’t have the extensive development cycle and resources that an Armored Core 6 or Elden Ring received. And who knows – it could very well venture into other genres just because. A gacha game where you don’t have to pay for characters? A fighting game? A first-person hack-and-slash with competitive elements? What is truly off the table when you think about it?
For now, the studio recognizes its position as a purveyor of single-player games and won’t deviate from that. So even as some players dismiss the concept of Nightreign and its so-called “trend-chasing,” it’s yet another title on FromSoftware’s illustrious road and also happened to be a success. Whether it chooses to focus on more is really up to its interests, and even if you don’t want it, it’ll make sure someone does.
Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.
