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For nearly three years, Fromsoft’s new game, Elden Ring, has been a critical and commercial success. It took the best parts of the original Dark Souls games and brought them into an open-world setting. Furthermore, the game’s DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree, gave fans everything they’ve come to expect from their DLC.
Recently, the game passed a momentous milestone by outselling the entirety of the Dark Souls trilogy. Those familiar with the franchise’s legacy should know why this is such a momentous occasion.
Elden Ring’s Latest Milestone
According to IGN, Elden Ring’s sales surpassed a huge milestone, as it managed to outsell the entirety of the Dark Souls trilogy, its main inspiration, by about a million. At over 28 million sales worldwide, it managed to singlehandedly outdo the three bestselling Dark Souls games, their DLC, and their re-releases. For reference, these numbers also put Elden Ring on the same scale as other giants like Breath of the Wild and Hogwarts Legacy.
In many ways, Elden Ring was the summation of everything director Hidetaka Miyazaki and the rest of his talented team learned from over a decade of creating Soulsborne games. The bosses, world design, and abilities are all tuned to perfection, while the open-world setting provides hundreds of hours of adventures. It even won Game of the Year at the 2022 Game Awards.
This wouldn’t be the last time a popular RPG received a successful spiritual successor. One similar contemporary example was the equally acclaimed Metaphor: Refantazio from Atlus, which reimagined the Persona series as a surprisingly original high fantasy epic. These success stories demonstrate how a popular game’s formula can be reimagined for a new IP.
The Dark Souls Series
The Dark Souls trilogy went down as one of the definite action RPG franchises of the 2010s. The games followed a lone, undead warrior navigating a dead world and facing off against fallen gods. They were infamous for their challenging and punishing difficulty, which rewarded players for their perseverance and willingness to improve. The fact that Elden Ring could outsell such a massive trilogy demonstrates its monumental impact.
The “Soulsborne” saga created several other titles outside the main trilogy, including the gothic Bloodborne and the Bhuddist-inspired Sekiro. Before the rest, the first official “Souls” game was the 2011 hit Demon’s Souls, which many fans considered a prototype for the later franchise. However, acclaimed director Hidetaka Miyazaki had already established that III’s conclusive ending would finish the trilogy, but he was far from done.
FromSoftware’s Status
Across nearly a dozen classics, FromSoftware established itself as one of the most respected developers worldwide. Elden Ring’s triumph shows gamers that FromSoftware is far from done and that they can use their time-honored formula in new genres. Dark Souls was such an awe-inspiring hit that it spawned an entire genre, “Soulslike.” While many failed impersonators, such as Lords of the Fallen, others, such as Code Vein and Lies of P, saw more success.
Furthermore, the team ensured the Elden Ring saga would continue. During the Game Awards, FromSoftware and Bandai Namco announced Elden Ring: Nightreign, a multiplayer spinoff of the original saga. Given that the game features several crossovers and characters from the original trilogy, this could keep the series’ proverbial flame going. As players crossing between worlds has always been a central mechanic of Souls games, making a full game around this mechanic should be interesting.
Conclusion
The Dark Souls series set a high standard for action RPGs, and Elden Ring’s sales and acclaim have proven it a worthy successor. The massive game became one of the most acclaimed by its developer and the entire open-world genre. Its DLC, with its deeper lore and greater challenges, further established the game’s legacy.
Elden Ring rose above the rest to become a modern classic in an age filled with failed reboots and imitations. From the day it was announced, the successor was destined to reach the heights of its predecessor. With Nightreign on the way, it could further cement the franchise as a household name.
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The highest-paid college QB has been revealed
College football is a big business these days, and quarterbacks are among the biggest beneficiaries in the system. Just look at the numbers. On3’s Pete Nakos released a list on Thursday of their sites valuations for how much money each quarterback in college football could be making. They have Arch Manning as the runaway leader with a valuation of $6.8 million. Carson Beck, who was enticed to leave Georgia and transfer to Miami, is second at $4.3 million. No other quarterback on the list has a valuation greater than $4 million, though everyone else in the top 10 has a valuation above $3 million. Those are estimated figures about a quarterback’s NIL value based on their popularity, name recognition, demand as a transfer, and social media following. There is plenty of money to be made in college football, which is why many quarterbacks who have questionable futures as a professional try to extend their eligibility. Some have even taken a legal route to stay in school longer, which is a concept that would have been unheard of years ago. Arch Manning having the highest valuation at nearly double many of the other top quarterbacks is not a surprise. He is going to be the starting quarterback at one of the most premium-brand schools in Texas. He also has more name recognition than anyone in college football since he is carrying on the Manning family quarterback legacy. Manning does not take full advantage of his ability to make money and instead is more selective about what endorsement deals he signs. He was even able to negotiate with EA Sports separately to appear in their video game. The real trick for Manning will be to live up to the hype. Texas has made the College Football Playoff two years in a row, including the national championship game last season. The only way to exceed that is by winning it all this season.
Kent Hughes requested Nick Suzuki approval before making trade
As captain of the Montreal Canadiens, it’s clear that Nick Suzuki gets a lot of respect from the fans and everyone in the organization; however, a sneak peek of the Montreal Canadiens show on Crave, "The Rebuild: Behind The Scenes," shows that GM Kent Hughes asked Suzuki’s opinion before pulling the trigger on the Patrik Laine trade. The fact that Suzuki has this much say in things with the higher-ups proves just how much respect he has with them. This also isn’t the first time we’ve heard that Suzuki was involved in a big decision for the team. It’s well known that Suzuki and Hughes spoke just after the Four Nations break, where the captain pleaded with his GM on behalf of his teammates to not sell any players at the trade deadline as they all wanted to stay together as a group. Hughes told Suzuki that the team must prove themselves to be worthy of staying in the mix until the deadline. Following that chat, the Canadiens went 5-0-1 up until the deadline, placing themselves right in the middle of the mix. Hughes listened to his captain, and the team managed to sneak into the playoffs as a result. While this was more of an agreement between the two, it still shows that Hughes respects Suzuki’s word. Another thing that Suzuki has managed to change within the organization is that morning skates are now at the Bell Centre as opposed to Brossard, as they were before the 2023-24 season. Suzuki argues that skating at the Bell Centre would motivate the players more during the skate. Suzuki is also the reason why Juraj Slafkovsky never went to Laval when he was struggling early in the 2023-24 season. When things weren’t going well early in the Slovak’s career, it was Suzuki who told management to keep him in Montreal and have him play on his line. It turns out that decision proved to be the best thing for Slafkovsky as he’s managed 2 50-point seasons since then, and their line with Cole Caufield is considered a top 10 trio in the entire league. It seems like there is always a new story on just how influential Suzuki is on everyone throughout the Habs organization. Now, we are talking about how Suzuki also has enough influence on the team to have input on a trade before it happens. In that clip, it seemed Suzuki was excited for Laine to come to Montreal — and with good reason, as the Canadiens got a former 40-goal scorer with the potential to do it again. As a fan, it’s hard to know what else Suzuki has influence on when it comes to management and the higher-ups, but it does seem as captain that he is the perfect bridge between management and the players. Not only does he help the players with their demands, but the fact that he tries to make things work for management when dealing with the players just proves why he was born to be an NHL captain. Maybe we will see more situations where management and Suzuki discuss things on behalf of the team as the second season of "The Rebuild" progresses. With the success the Canadiens had during the 2024-25 season, this season of "The Rebuild: Behind The Scenes" should be a fun one to watch.
NASCAR official sheds light on Bubba Wallace's Richmond penalty
Bubba Wallace had never found much success at Richmond Raceway, but looked poised to deliver a breakthrough performance there on Saturday night. Wallace led 123 laps on the night and won Stage 2 after finishing second in the opening stage to 23XI Racing teammate Tyler Reddick. Everything changed for the Brickyard 400 winner during a green-flag stop with 110 laps to go. As Wallace exited his stall, he lost his left-front tire and pulled into fellow Toyota driver Chase Briscoe's stall to get the tire back on prior to returning to the track. While the decision to pit in another box forced Wallace to serve a pass-through penalty, NASCAR Cup Series Managing Director Brad Moran said the sanctioning body viewed his actions as the safest move in that scenario. "The last thing we want is a wheel coming off on the race track. Obviously, the penalties ramp up when you leave pit road and a wheel falls off," Moran said, per NASCAR.com. "But truthfully, really what it is, it's just pitting out of the box is how we look at it. We do not want tires out on the race track, so if it can be avoided, we certainly would like to see that. So, the rule was set that if you happen to lose a tire and you can get it changed in a teammate's box, that's fair game before you leave and you will be penalized for pitting out of the box." This was the second time this season a driver made the abrupt decision to stop in another driver's box after losing a wheel on pit road. Back in March at Las Vegas, Christopher Bell did the same thing and, ironically enough, also stopped in Briscoe's box to get the wheel secured. Although Wallace ultimately finished two laps down in 28th, he appeared to have one of the best cars in the field until the pit road mishap derailed his race. He had only led 83 laps combined and recorded one top 10 in his previous 13 starts at Richmond, so the time he spent at the front was a major step in the right direction. Had the wheel come off on the track, two crew members would have received a two-race suspension, meaning the No. 23 team would not have been at full strength for the playoff opener at Darlington on Aug. 31. Instead, the on-the-spot decision-making kept that from happening on what was shaping up to be a career night at the "Action Track" for Wallace.
Insider Shares Details on Steelers, Gabe Davis Visit
The Pittsburgh Steelers recently got a second look at former Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Gabe Davis, who they brought in for a second visit this summer. Davis first came to Pittsburgh early in the summer, just after mini camp. Then, he returned just after training camp. And one team insider is offering an update on how things went. Davis, 26, had his season cut short after just 10 games in 2024 due to a meniscus injury in his knee. After spending the year on Injured Reserve, the Jaguars released him after just one season. He then visited multiple teams, but did not sign. According to WDVE's Mike Prisuta, that's because the team - and other teams - have not liked what they have seen during their medical evaluations. "Gabe Davis was brought in for a medical follow-up," Prisuta said. "And when he came in free agency, the Steelers did not like, and subsequently other teams have not liked, what they saw from MRIs or whatever it was that they looked at following that knee injury that ended his season last year." Davis left Pittsburgh after his second interview and went to Buffalo to visit the Bills. The young veteran spent four years with the Bills, catching 27 touchdown passes with them and becoming a reliable starter for Josh Allen. Now, he's considering a reunion with his former employer. Pittsburgh is interested in adding a wide receiver before the start of the regular season, and Davis remains a top option. They have not been able to land anyone else to this point after calling teams like the Washington Commanders for Terry McLaurin and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for Jordan Palmer. Calvin Austin III is set to be their starter alongside DK Metcalf, but after dealing with an oblique injury most of training camp and all of the preseason, it's unknown if he'll be ready before Week 1 against the New York Jets. If the Steelers got a better result from Davis's MRI this time around, he may be a top priority signing for them in the coming days. If not, they're likely ready to move in a different direction to find a wide receiver addition.
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