From Software has revealed that their flagship franchise has reached a new sales milestone. Announced through press release, the Dark Souls series has now sold more than 27 million units worldwide. It was also unveiled that the most recent entry in the series, Dark Souls III, has sold more than 10 million globally, accounting for roughly 37% of the 27 million lifetime franchise sales. Considering the infamous difficulty that the series is known for, these are impressive numbers, to say the least. However, the brutal gameplay is also a major driving force behind its overall popularity.
Launching in 2016, Dark Souls III took everything that made the Dark Souls franchise great and made it even better. The environment, combat mechanics, and PvP system were all refined for this entry, and it showed right from the get-go. The game shattered expectations and sold more than 3 million units in less than a couple of months after it launched. The game was also supported by new expansions, Ashes of Ariendel and the Ringed City, both expanding the open world as well as making the game more difficult. With all of this, it’s easy to see why people are still playing it well after it released 4 years ago.
It’s hard to imagine the video game landscape today without the Souls series, as they’ve essentially made their mark in the annals of video game history. Believe it or not, but before they were hurling players into the pit of the unknown, From Software was mostly known for their development on the mecha-inspired Armored Core franchise. In 2009, they decided to take stab at something completely different and released Demon’s Souls on the PlayStation 3. The results were unlike anything the company expected and basically flipped the video game industry upside down, with some people calling it one of the most important releases of all time.
From Software continued this success with the formal introduction of the first Dark Souls, which would go onto be critically acclaimed, and the rest is history. In the press release, the studio also briefly mentioned that their next major IP, Elden Ring, is still in development and that they are looking forward to “deliver game that players throughout the world will enjoy.” Hopefully From Software will have some more information to share with us, possibly during either the Summer of Gaming or the Summer Games Fest, both of which are taking place with the absence of this year’s E3.