Elden Ring
169 documents in the library are about Elden Ring, from writers such as Kadokawa Corporation, GameDiscoverCo and Stream Hatchet, the newest from 2026. Each has a summary and key insights with the page they come from.
Elden Ring is an action RPG developed by FromSoftware and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment, released in February 2022. Directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki, with world-building contributions from novelist George R. R. Martin, the game features an expansive open world called the Lands Between. Players assume the role of a customisable character known as the Tarnished, who must explore this world, battle formidable enemies, and seek to restore the Elden Ring to become the Elden Lord. The game builds on the challenging gameplay mechanics familiar from the Dark Souls series but introduces a more open-ended structure with vast exploration, dynamic weather, and a day-night cycle. It offers deep lore, complex characters, and an interconnected world filled with secrets, dungeons, and powerful bosses.
- Released
- Feb 25, 2022
- Developer
- FromSoftware
- Publisher
- Bandai Namco Entertainment
- Genres
- Role-playing (RPG), Adventure
- Platforms
- Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch 2, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 5, Xbox One
- Links
- Official site, Wikipedia
Game data from IGDB.com
Key figures
Kadokawa’s operating profit fell 51.3% to 8.1 billion JPY for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2026, driven by rising personnel costs and difficult year-over-year comparisons following the peak performance of Elden Ring.
Kadokawa Corporation, 2026 · Kadokawa Earnings Results for the Fiscal Year Ended March 31, 2026, p. 11
Nioh 3 is successfully capturing the broader souls-like market, as 80.7% of its Steam players and 73% of its PlayStation players are previous players of Elden Ring.
Alinea Analytics, 2026 · China Drove Nioh 3’s Promising Start
Bandai Namco’s recent commercial success is anchored by FromSoftware titles, with the original Elden Ring exceeding 30 million units sold, the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion reaching 10 million, and the spin-off Elden Ring: Nightreign selling 5 million units.
The Game Business, 2025 · Life beyond Elden Ring: What’s Next for Bandai Namco Entertainment
AAA games like Elden Ring (14.2K average daily copies), Cyberpunk 2077 (12K), and Phasmophobia (11.5K) maintain perennial seller status by leveraging post-release events, DLC, and critical acclaim to drive long-term sales.
Stream Hatchet, 2025 · Using Streaming to Create Perennial Sellers on Steam
May 2024 streaming data showed significant surges for established titles, with Minecraft viewership increasing 2.73x to 76.8 million hours and Elden Ring increasing 2.83x to 31.9 million hours.
GameDiscoverCo, 2025 · How Hypercharge Scaled Its Xbox Version to a Top 10 Win!
Documents about Elden Ring
The 10 Games I've Played Most On Steam
This analysis examines the personal gaming habits of a prominent industry commentator, focusing on the ten most-played titles on their Steam account.
- Larian Studios' titles Baldur's Gate 3 and Divinity: Original Sin II are highlighted for their high-quality, non-filler combat systems and their ability to 'say yes to the player' through deep, interlocking mechanics.
- CrossCode, a Zelda-like RPG, is noted for its brilliant concept of an MMO-within-a-game, earning 155.1 hours of playtime across multiple playthroughs.
- Hundred Line Last Defense Academy is described as an extreme example of a slow-burn narrative, where the initial 30-hour playthrough functions primarily as a prologue to the actual game.
Can PlayStation’s Housemarque Repeat the FromSoftware Story?
The Finnish developer Housemarque is currently navigating a strategic transition following its 2021 acquisition by Sony, aiming to evolve from a niche creator of challenging, high-intensity action games into a more prominent fixture within the PlayStation first-party ecosystem.
- Housemarque, a PlayStation first-party studio, released its new IP, Saros, in April 2026. Saros is described as a challenging, uncompromising third-person, bullet hell, action game with roguelite elements, similar to their previous game, Returnal.
- Housemarque aims to emulate FromSoftware's success by building a dedicated fanbase for their niche, hardcore games through continued 'education' of the market, despite not expecting to reach the same scale.
- Housemarque has significantly grown its team from 40-50 employees around the 2017 release of Nex Machina to nearly 120 employees currently, all focused on one game.
Kadokawa Earnings Results for the Fiscal Year Ended March 31, 2026
Kadokawa’s fiscal year ending March 31, 2026, represents a pivotal transition period characterized by a 1.8% increase in net sales to 282.9 billion JPY, contrasted against a 51.3% decline in operating profit to 8.1 billion JPY.
- Kadokawa’s operating profit fell 51.3% to 8.1 billion JPY for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2026, driven by rising personnel costs and difficult year-over-year comparisons following the peak performance of Elden Ring.
- The company launched a six-year Mid-term Management Plan through FY2031 aimed at achieving record group profits and a 9.4% ROE by prioritizing IP lifetime value and blockbuster development.
- International expansion is a primary growth driver, with overseas net sales increasing by 29.4% during the fiscal year.
Earnings Results: FY2026 Q3
KADOKAWA’s financial performance through the third quarter of fiscal year 2026 reflects a period of transition characterized by a slight consolidated revenue decline to 202.9 billion yen and a sharp 59.7% drop in operating profit.
- Kadokawa reported a 59.7% drop in operating profit and a decline in consolidated revenue to 202.9 billion yen for Q3 FY2026, driven by publishing margin compression and difficult year-on-year comparisons in gaming.
- The gaming division is pivoting toward next-generation hardware, with development underway for 'Elden Ring Tarnished Edition' and a Nintendo-exclusive title, 'The Duskbloods', for the successor to the Nintendo Switch.
- Gaming earnings have normalized following the massive success of 'Elden Ring' in the prior year, though the segment still generated 2.5 million units in repeat sales and DLC volume.
Kadokawa Q3 FY2026 Financial Results (Japanese GAAP)
This financial report details the consolidated results for KADOKAWA Corporation during the first nine months of the fiscal year ending March 31, 2026, covering the period from April 1, 2025, to December 31, 2025.
- Kadokawa’s operating profit plummeted 59.7% to 6.3 billion yen for the first nine months of FY2026, while net income fell 70.0% to 2.2 billion yen on net sales of 202.9 billion yen.
- The Publication and IP segment experienced a 90.2% decline in operating profit, driven by rising personnel costs and a lack of major domestic hits, despite growth in U.S. and Asian markets.
- The Animation and Live-Action segment shifted to an operating loss of 904 million yen due to a reliance on new, less established titles compared to the previous year's major successes.
China Drove Nioh 3’s Promising Start
Nioh 3 has achieved a strong commercial launch, recording over 700,000 units sold across PlayStation and Steam within four days of its February 2026 release.
- Nioh 3 sold over 700,000 copies across Steam and PlayStation within four days of its February 6, 2026, launch, generating more than $50 million in gross revenue.
- Steam accounted for 56.1% of Nioh 3 sales (395,000 units), while PlayStation 5 accounted for 43.9% (309,000 units).
- East Asia, including China, Japan, and Taiwan, represents nearly two-thirds of the Nioh 3 player base, with 71.3% of the Steam audience having previously played Black Myth: Wukong.
Life beyond Elden Ring: What’s Next for Bandai Namco Entertainment
This analysis examines the strategic direction of Bandai Namco Entertainment through an interview with CEO and President Nao Udagawa.
- Bandai Namco’s recent commercial success is anchored by FromSoftware titles, with the original Elden Ring exceeding 30 million units sold, the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion reaching 10 million, and the spin-off Elden Ring: Nightreign selling 5 million units.
- Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero has become the third best-selling game in Bandai Namco’s US history, achieving 5 million global sales since its 2024 release.
- CEO Nao Udagawa announced a strategic pivot to expand internal development capabilities to create games based on Bandai Namco’s own intellectual properties, rather than relying primarily on third-party partnerships.
Life beyond Elden Ring: A rare interview with Bandai Namco Entertainment CEO Nao Udagawa
Bandai Namco Entertainment CEO Nao Udagawa outlines a strategic vision centered on balancing third-party partnerships with an increased focus on internal development capabilities.
- Bandai Namco is shifting its strategic focus toward balancing third-party partnerships with a greater emphasis on internal development capabilities.
- The company is using the success of its partnership with FromSoftware on Elden Ring as a primary benchmark for future development standards and global marketing strategies.
- To mitigate rising development costs, the firm is maintaining a diversified portfolio that spans from large-scale AAA blockbusters to smaller projects.
Dark Souls to Nightreign: Never Ever Alone | Extra Credits Gaming
The Soulsborne genre, traditionally characterized by its brutal difficulty and solitary, oppressive atmosphere, possesses an underlying, often overlooked emphasis on social connection and cooperative play.
- FromSoftware's Soulsborne titles, traditionally viewed as solitary and brutal experiences, are underpinned by a strong, inherent culture of community and 'jolly cooperation' that has been present since the series' inception.
- The transition to the co-op-focused roguelite Elden Ring: Nightreign represents a natural evolution of the multiplayer elements already embedded in the franchise's design, rather than a radical departure from its core identity.
- The success of Elden Ring: Nightreign in adopting a multiplayer-first model is attributed to its retention of the original game's combat mechanics, whereas other studios like Remedy Entertainment struggled with FBC: Firebreak by failing to translate the core appeal of their single-player titles into a multiplayer format.
Kadokawa Corporation: Summary of Consolidated Earnings Results for the Six Months Ended September 30, 2025
Kadokawa Corporation experienced a difficult first half for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2025, characterized by a 1.8 percent decline in net sales to 133.9 billion yen and a substantial 47.8 percent drop in operating profit to 5.5 billion yen.
- Kadokawa Corporation reported a 1.8% decline in net sales to 133.9 billion yen and a 47.8% drop in operating profit to 5.5 billion yen for the six months ended September 30, 2025.
- The company issued a downward revision of its full-year financial forecasts following underperformance in the Publication and Animation segments.
- Financial results were negatively impacted by a 2.7 billion yen extraordinary loss stemming from impairment charges and goodwill amortization in the Animation and Film division.
Using Streaming to Create Perennial Sellers on Steam
This analysis examines the role of live-streaming in sustaining long-term sales for premium PC games on Steam, specifically focusing on titles released between 2019 and 2022.
- AAA games like Elden Ring (14.2K average daily copies), Cyberpunk 2077 (12K), and Phasmophobia (11.5K) maintain perennial seller status by leveraging post-release events, DLC, and critical acclaim to drive long-term sales.
- Large-scale streamer engagement, such as xQc’s Battlefield 2042 stream, can significantly revitalize sales for underperforming titles, with that specific event correlating to a jump from 30K to 150K monthly copies sold.
- Prestige awards, specifically winning Game of the Year at The Game Awards, act as a primary catalyst for sustained interest, embedding titles like Elden Ring and It Takes Two into ongoing gamer discourse long after their initial release.
AAA Game Makers: Navigating China's Market and Regulatory Landscape
China represents a critical growth market for AAA game developers, as the region accounts for a significant share of the player base for major global titles.
- China represents a critical growth market for Western AAA titles, with Chinese players accounting for significant portions of the player base for major 2020s releases like Palworld, Elden Ring, Cyberpunk 2077, and Baldur’s Gate III.
- A new three-year pilot policy implemented in Shanghai as of July 2025 allows foreign-developed games to be treated as domestic for licensing purposes, potentially accelerating ISBN approvals and reducing reliance on grey-market access.
- Localisation is the primary requirement for success in China, as most gamers will not engage with titles that lack Chinese-language support.