TheShadow of the ErdtreeDLCforElden Ringis finally dropping later today. Some people have even started playing it already, depending on their timezone, but there’s no point being jealous when it’s so close to release. It’s not just fans who’ve been feverishly waiting for this expansion, though; publisher Bandai Namco’s own anticipation has been described as “sky-high” for what it’s calling the company’s “most ambitious” DLC launch.
This is according to Bandai Namco Europe’s chief marketing and sales officer Anthony Macare, who toldGamesIndustry.bizthatShadow of the Erdtree“rivals the scope of a standalone game.” This is why it’s been marketed almost like a brand new title, with Bandai Namco releasing multiple physical and digital editions.
This obviously includes a new version ofElden Ringthat comes packaged with the DLC, which is meant to attract new players. Macare added that Bandai Namco is expectingShadow of the Erdtreeto generate a lot of new sales forElden Ring, though refrained from sharing exact targets. SinceShadow of the Erdtreeis intended to beElden Ring‘s only DLC, the promise of a complete package could entice those who skipped the game in 2022 to pick it up.
At the very least, in the run-up to the DLC’s release, Macare has claimedElden Ring‘s active player count has already “reached new heights” thanks to both returning players and new ones, meaning some couldn’t wait for the DLC to drop before picking up the game. That does make some sense, though, consideringyou need to defeat two specific bossesbefore you’re able to access the DLC.
As for the game’s improved player counts, while there’s no public data on the PlayStation and Xbox versions, we can see howElden Ringis performing on Steam viaSteamDB. Although it’s not managed to reach the highs of its launch (Elden Ringpeaked at 953,426 concurrent players in March 2022), the Steam player count has steadily gone up since the middle of May, recently breaking 200,000 concurrent players for the first time since 2022. According toSteam’s sales charts,Elden Ringis also the top selling game on the platform at the time of writing, with theShadow of the Erdtreeexpansion in second place.
Elden Ringwas already a major success when it launched, having solda staggering 12 million copies in its first two weeks, cementing it as a new IP for Bandai Namco. Just last week, theofficial FromSoftware Twitter accountannouncedElden Ringhad crossed the 25 million sales mark. Ironically, such overwhelming success only means Bandai Namco wants even more of it. So, while it has high expectations forShadow of the Erdtree, let’s hope they’re not so unreasonable that the DLC is deemed a financial failure.
