Dark Souls franchise tops 25 million shipped

Critically acclaimed action RPG franchise Dark Souls has shipped more than 25 million copies, including digital sales, according to developer From Software.

A spiritual successor to the studio’s 2009 PS3 release Demon’s Souls, Dark Souls launched in 2011 on PS3 and Xbox 360, before arriving on PC the following year.

Dark Souls II released on the same platforms in 2014, before an updated version, Scholar of the First Sin, also brought the game to PS4 and Xbox One.

Dark Souls III hit PS4, Xbox One and PC in 2016, while Dark Souls: Remastered was released last year on PC and current-gen consoles, including Nintendo Switch.

The notoriously challenging dark fantasy games are published by Bandai Namco, which is also working with From Software on the newly announced Elden Ring.

The Xbox One, PS4 and PC game was officially revealed with a trailer during Microsoft’s E3 conference on Sunday.

Billed as From Software’s “largest game to-date”, it’s a fantasy action RPG adventure set in a world created by Dark Souls creator Hidetaka Miyazaki and George R.R. Martin, author of the A Song of Ice and Fire series, which was adapted into Game of Thrones.