Elden Ring does it again: Bandai Namco lights a cigar with digital profits up ¥7 billion partly thanks to 5 million+ Nightreign players, and doubles down on Sony collaboration

Nightreign Continues the Elden Ring Money Machine

Let’s be honest – did anyone really doubt that slapping the Elden Ring name on literally anything would result in instant success? Bandai Namco’s August 2025 financial presentation reads like a love letter to FromSoftware’s golden goose, with Nightreign shipping over 5 million units since its launch. That’s not just impressive; that’s “I’m buying a small island” impressive.

The numbers don’t lie, folks. While new titles collectively sold 4.62 million units, repeat titles managed 6.13 million. This basically means that gamers are so hungry for more Elden Ring content, they’ll buy anything with those magic words slapped on the cover. Can’t say I blame them – when you create a universe that beautiful and punishing, people are going to want more ways to suffer through it.

Even on Steam, where player counts typically drop faster than my motivation on a Monday morning, Nightreign is still pulling respectable numbers. Sure, it’s fallen from its record-breaking 313,593 peak player count at launch (because nothing lasts forever, not even our collective gaming obsessions), but it’s still maintaining over 80,000 players as of early August. That puts it at 32nd place on Steam’s most-played games list, sitting pretty between Palworld and gaming legends like Baldur’s Gate 3 and GTA 5 Enhanced.

Sony and Bandai Namco: A Match Made in Corporate Heaven

Now here’s where things get interesting, and by interesting, I mean potentially concerning for anyone who likes their gaming industry with a side of healthy competition. Sony didn’t just dip their toe in the Bandai Namco pool – it cannon-balled right in with a 2.5% stake and 16 million shares. But wait, there’s more corporate maneuvering where that came from.

Sony also managed to snag a majority stake in Kadokawa Group (FromSoftware’s parent company) and a 14.09% stake in FromSoftware itself. At this point, Sony’s investment portfolio looks like a gaming fan’s wishlist, and honestly, I’m not sure whether to be impressed or terrified.

According to Bandai Namco’s presentation, this partnership will focus on “carrying out various collaborations by leveraging the strengths of both companies.” Corporate speak aside, this basically means they’re planning to squeeze every possible yen out of their joint ventures through anime content, merchandising, and what they euphemistically call “experiential entertainment.”

What This Means for Gaming’s Future

The partnership promises “joint development and promotion of IP” along with “planning and technical collaboration.” While most of the announced plans seem focused on anime and merchandise (because apparently we needed more ways to spend money on our favorite franchises), the gaming implications are fascinating.

Before you panic about Sony potentially messing with FromSoftware’s creative process, remember that most of these collaborative efforts appear to be focused on the multimedia side of things. Sony knows better than to mess with a formula that’s essentially printing money. Why fix what isn’t broken, especially when “broken” in FromSoftware’s case means “so perfectly challenging that millions of players willingly subject themselves to repeated digital death”?

The Elden Ring Empire Shows No Signs of Slowing

Looking ahead, FromSoftware isn’t content to rest on their laurels (not that they ever have been). There’s still the upcoming Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition slated for the Nintendo Switch 2, because apparently every gaming platform needs its own slice of the Elden Ring pie. Then there’s the Switch 2 exclusive The Duskbloods, which honestly sounds like it could either be the next gaming masterpiece or a rejected band name from the early 2000s.

But here’s the kicker – rumors are swirling about FromSoftware’s next project being so advanced that we might actually get our hands on it next year. Given their track record of creating games that simultaneously make us want to throw our controllers and immediately start a new playthrough, this news has the gaming community vibrating with anticipation.

The Bottom Line: Success Breeds More Success

At the end of the day, Bandai Namco’s financial windfall is a testament to something we all already knew – gamers will throw money at quality content, especially when it comes with the FromSoftware seal of approval. Nightreign’s 5 million unit milestone isn’t just a number; it’s proof that the appetite for challenging, well-crafted gaming experiences remains voracious.

The Sony partnership adds another layer of intrigue to an already successful formula. Whether this collaboration results in even better games or just more ways to merchandise our favorite virtual worlds remains to be seen. But one thing’s for certain – with ¥7 billion in additional digital profits, Bandai Namco can afford to take a few creative risks.

So here we are, watching two industry giants count their money while we eagerly await whatever impossibly difficult but utterly compelling experience they’ll serve up next. And honestly? We’ll probably buy it anyway, because that’s just what Elden Ring does to us. It makes us gluttons for punishment, and we love every masochistic minute of it.

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