Summary
A new report has discovered that the hype around the release ofElden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtreeled to a substantial boost in player counts forBloodborne. Developed by FromSoftware, the much-awaitedElden Ring: Shadow of the ErdtreeDLC launched on June 21, and it appears the enormous level of anticipation around the expansion inadvertently uplifted one of the studio’s most well-regarded titles of the past decade.
Bloodborneis a hot topic of discussion among FromSoftware fans, as the distinctive Lovecraftian Soulsborne game was released exclusively on PlayStation 4 back in 2015, and remains locked to the platform to this day. Pleas for a remaster or remake have been abundant since the PlayStation 5 launched, but for now, it appearsFromSoftware isn’t working on anyBloodborne-related projects. However, the studio’s biggest game to date,Elden Ring, just received its first and only expansion,Shadow of the Erdtree, and it appears to have rejuvenated some excitement forBloodborneas well.
A recentreport from TrueTrophiesfound thatBloodborneplayer counts on PS4 and PS5 saw a 57.77% rise across the entirety of June 2024, coinciding with the run-up toShadow of the Erdtree’s launch. The report attributes this spike to “Soulsborne fever,” where FromSoftware fans rush to play the studio’s other games in anticipation of an imminent release. However,Bloodbornebroke the mold by continuing to attract players the week afterShadow of the Erdtreelaunched, with 11.61% more players jumping in and makingBloodbornerank 65th on PlayStation’s most played charts for that week.
Another FromSoftware Game Saw a Boost Thanks to Shadow of the Erdtree
Bloodbornewasn’t the only FromSoftware title that experienced rising player counts, though, as the report reveals thatDark Souls 3saw a smaller 5.9% spike in the same week as well, placing it at the 121st position on the most played charts. That said, it’s important to note that this data was sampled across 3.1 million PlayStation Network accounts, so it may not be indicative of the larger PlayStation user base. It does, however, show that thepopularity and demand surroundingBloodborneare still very strong.
The prospect ofBloodbornebeing re-released on current-generation platforms by way of a remake, remaster, or even a PC port has been heavily requested by fans for a long time due to its 30fps limit on PS4. Even FromSoftware boss andBloodbornedirector Hidetaka Miyazaki approves of a remakeso that the game’s gothic charm can be experienced by new audiences in the future. Ultimately, though, the decision lies with Sony since it owns theBloodborneIP.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
WHERE TO PLAY
Shadow of the Erdtree is the first and only DLC expansion for FromSoftware’s groundbreaking Elden Ring. It takes players to a whole new region, the Land of Shadow, where a new story awaits the Tarnished.
