Elden Ring Nightreign: A Success Beyond Expectations

History repeats itself for Elden Ring. As you may recall, the work by FromSoftware established itself as a benchmark in the soulslike genre and beyond, an event capable of marking the industry, which went far beyond initial expectations. FromSoftware's parent company, Kadokawa, was astonished by the millions and millions of copies sold by Elden Ring, and now, three years later, we can say the same for Nightreign.

Nightreign Sells Very Well, But...

Kadokawa's new financial report reveals that Elden Ring Nightreign, the cooperative multiplayer-focused chapter of the franchise, sold far beyond expectations in both the domestic (Japan) and international markets. We recall that last July, less than 2 months after its launch, Nightreign had already surpassed the remarkable milestone of 5 million copies sold. Yet, despite its success, Kadokawa's gaming division generated less revenue compared to 2024. Why?

The reason lies in internal competition, and by "internal" we mean within the same franchise: in 2024, Shadow of the Erdtree, the Elden Ring expansion, was released and also sold like hotcakes, incidentally boosting sales of the base game. Nightreign, despite doing very well, could not match it economically. However, Kadokawa is still smiling because, compared to 2024, expenses have decreased, so the gaming division's profits have risen, even with the decrease in revenue.