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[.Pennywise]

My curiosity about this topic has been raising lately.

Every time a new Bloodborne remaster rumor reachs the surface people lose their minds and crave for it. People think Sony and From are leaving money on the table. However, sales for Bloodborne aren't groundbreaking, even for an exclusive. The Dark Souls series have been up for more than 10 years now, and they made sprout quite a number of games similar to the formula, and even breeding the term "souls game". A fanbase born around them, and kind of an elitism shield formed around this games and the 'git gud' and 'you have to be smart enought to find the story for yourself' mantras acted like a religion faith defending every critic to these games.

AND DESPITE ALL THAT AND YET, I've never seem this games explode like some big milestones in gaming history, like MOBAs, Minecraft or Battle Royale games. If everyone and their mother in the gaming community craves for them (even with the difficulty barriers and such) I think this games should be way bigger than its fan base makes it out to be.

So, I'm kind of thinking that we might be in a situation where the loud minority is alienating these topics. Just like with mobile gaming (hey, nobody likes mobile gaming yet its the biggest gaming industry by far) but the other way around.

This poll is being made on a gaming enthusiast forum, so if these games are so so so popular as its fanbase made out to believe, the poll should be a steamroll (that's why I only put 2 options). If not, I think that my theory, that these games and the topics around them became so single sided, might be because of this LOUD minority shutting down any critic, is somewhat true.

 

[Chukhopops]

Dark Souls 3 sold over 10 Million copies: https://www.fromsoftware.jp/ww/pressrelease_detail.html?tgt=20200519_darksoulsseries_salesdata

And the Dark Souls series sold over 27 Million. Add Bloodborne (??) and Sekiro (5 million) and you have a very successful series overall, probably close to 35 Million.

 

[turtlepowa]

I think they are very popular with core gamers (just like exclusive games). That's why you read much about it on forums. All my friends are casuals they wouldn't even play such a game if they would get paid for it. One tried DS but sold it the other day.

 

[SlimySnake]

They arent as popular as cod and fortnite, but most franchises arent.

Not sure what the point of this thread is tbh. you are upset at the loud minority because they wont let you criticize the game but whats your criticism? who is stopping you?

 

[Efren is G.O.A.T.]

I personally think this game is enjoyed more by the experienced gamers than the casual ones.

 

[Nikana]

I like the idea of them but I never really clicked with any except bloodborne. OG Dark Souls had good ideas but the performance and jank turned me off and then I never really went back to any of the others.

Star Wars and Bloodborne are the only Souls like I have finished.

I got pretty close to the end of Surge 2.

 

[SantaC]

Yes, a new soulsborne today would sell much more then they did 6-7 years ago.

The thirst is real.

 

[Dr Kaneda]

Every time a new Bloodborne remaster rumor reachs the surface people lose their minds and crave for it. People think Sony and From are leaving money on the table. However, sales for Bloodborne aren't groundbreaking, even for an exclusive.

Demon's Souls sales were SIGNIFACNTLY less ground-breaking and yet Sony still saw it as a strong enough IP to fund and entire ground up remake for it and have it as their flagship PS5 games. Bloodborne is more popular and a simple remaster would be far cheaper/more cost effective in terms of sales vs development costs.

 

[drotahorror]

My uncle only plays CoD but he beat Bloodborne repeatedly and beat Dark Souls 3. He was over 40 years old when he beat both. BB and TLOU are his favorite games ever made. He bought Sekiro but never really got into it.

So there is room, even for a casual CoD player to get in on the Souls games.

I personally really enjoy them but they're a bit played out. I smashed through the Demons Souls PS5 version in about 25 hours and haven't touched it since. I will usually put atleast 100 hours into a Souls games.

 

[.Pennywise]

They arent as popular as cod and fortnite, but most franchises arent.

Not sure what the point of this thread is tbh. you are upset at the loud minority because they wont let you criticize the game but whats your criticism? who is stopping you?

Because I think they should have exploded way more than they did with its popularity.

You don't see much AAA Soulsborne games, yet you see a bunch of AAA BR games. (Extends to AA games too)

 

[Great Hair]

However, sales for Bloodborne aren't groundbreaking, even for an exclusive.

September 15, 2015, launch March 2015 (Sony provided data)
Bloodborne has now sold through more than 2 million* units worldwide

​

Pretty sure they have sold more since 2015.

“It did surprise us,” says Gara. “We had expectations to do well. We looked at the Souls series as a frame of reference, and we thought we could do better than that. We did – and then some. Relative to some of our sister territories, we were being quite ambitious, but even that proved to be conservative.

“I think Bloodborne might have just landed just at the right time; it was a relatively quiet time, it was a very high quality title and a great platform differentiator for us. We were caught a little bit behind in terms of the volume, but we were able to chase it and maximise its potential.”

 

[MadPanda]

Poll answers are misleading. I like souls games but they're far from being that popular among wider public, so I can't choose any. Their popularity is among enthusiasts who are very vocal so you can get the wrong impression about their popularity. Just look at demon's souls VS miles morales numbers and you'll get your answer.

 

[.Pennywise]

Poll answers are misleading. I like souls games but they're far from being that popular among wider public, so I can't choose any. Their popularity is among enthusiasts who are very vocal so you can get the wrong impression about their popularity. Just look at demon's souls VS miles morales numbers and you'll get your answer.

Read through the last paragraph of the OP

 

[ArtemisClydeFrog]

They're not super popular but they're all fucking amazing games. Best "Franchise" and it's not particularly close.


FromSoftware Is The Best Thing That Ever Happened To Gaming.

 

[MadPanda]

Read through the last paragraph of the OP

I did, and I still can't choose any answer.

My answer is that I like that but they're not popular.

 

[Cert.in.Death]

DS certainly spawned far better memes than most games. So that’s something.

 

[Reality Czar]

OP thinks these games aren't as popular.

He also thinks there is a conspiracy theory and a loud minority of fans is shutting down criticism.

This despite plenty of "Why can't we have an easy mode?" articles that appear every single time From releases a game.

OP Why do you need confirmation that something you don't like is not like by many people? That's very insecure. You should just enjoy games for what they are.

 

[ACESHIGH]

Massive massive games on PC. A Bloodborne release would break Steam down.

 

[Aesius]

They're not super popular but they're all fucking amazing games. Best "Franchise" and it's not particularly close.


FromSoftware Is The Best Thing That Ever Happened To Gaming.

I think that given the timeframe that they were released and where the industry was headed, there's some truth in that statement. I shudder to think of where the industry would be if executives didn't have definitive proof that gamers still love challenging and mysterious games that don't hold your hand whatsoever.

 

[Imru’ al-Qays]

If you don't like Souls games there's something wrong with you.

It's amazing that a series that's so uncompromising in its game design is able to sell so well simply on the basis of quality. Without Souls I don't think I would be a gamer today.

 

[tassletine]

It's not so much that the sales have to be massive, just that the games can be produced and make a good profit. From are a small company, so good value.

Bloodbourne sold 3.1 million. Compare the sales to Last of us 2, which are most likely between 4-6 million and you'll get a good idea of what value From are.

Sony are also known to fund critically acclaimed producers just for the kudos, this would apply to both these titles. At a guess I'd say LOU2 was probably unprofitable for the company as it took so long to produce,
which I'm pretty sure is one of the reasons they had to kick up so much fuss during publicity. From, in contrast almost never do interviews because they are quick, efficient and sell very well.

The only reason I think we haven't seen a Bloodbourne remaster is that the game kept selling steadily and was never allocated big resources because it had amazing word of mouth. It works the same in the music industry where Heavy Metal is near the top of the tree sales wise but gets a lot less publicity because it doesn't need any. I think we will most likely see a remaster shortly as GOTY winners aren't usually ignored.

 

[_Ex_]

FromSoftware Is The Best Thing That Ever Happened To Gaming.

I agree, but more for the King's Field and Armored Core series, than the Soulsborne stuff.

 

[Northeastmonk]

Bloodborne was one of the best games on PS4. The Dark Souls trilogy are a mark of excellence for the genre. They’re all games that will be used to compare extreme difficulty with action RPG. The thing is, what other game did this? Had that much appeal to its lore and the encounters in the world. You had difficult-ish games in the past and third person open world, but what made them stand out with that type of aesthetic?

I think they stand out in the sea of games on the market. Almost anyone can tell you they heard about the games. A lot of people just know about it because of Twitch, YouTube, or a friend of theirs plays it.

If you think about it. A lot of amazing games are well known, but they don’t break the bank like your mainstream stuff. How many people know of the Final Fantasy or Mana series versus how many actually buy the games? I think you should see how it has made a genre for fans to enjoy. Sekiro was two years ago.

I think there are a lot of people who know that someone dies in Final Fantasy VII, but after a while it’s all talk. People just go online to see that cutscene or they know about it from pop culture.
What game did what Bloodborne did? What cryptic world filled with dark, moody atmosphere came even close to being better than Bloodborne? Nothing. Nothing does what that game does.

 

[GC_DALBEN]

Its the only franchise (souls and forza horizon)that i get excited after seeing the trailers.

 

[dDoc]

Love the genre.

Cant wait for Elden Ring.

Kinda got numb to a BB remaster/remake though.

 

[sackings]

I dont want to imagine a world without FromSoft. I would probably have quit playing altogether by now if not for their games and influence they've had on the industry.

 

[Eric187]

Among hardcore gamers sure. But to casuals I’d say no. Being on a gaming forum will always inflate the popularity of certain genres.

 

[Bernd Lauert]

Something can be niche and sell a lot at the same time. For example, Factorio (which is basically an autism simulator) sold 2.5 million copies despite never going on sale, and probably made similar or even more revenue than Bloodborne.

 

[FunkMiller]

Got fucked by the Taurus Demon and never went back eh, OP?


Bloodborne remains one of the most popular 'free' downloads on PS Plus / The From games have sold north of 40 million / Elden Ring will sell over 10 million on its own.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Unless Demon's Souls on PS5 has legs because new PS5 users buy it because it's new, DS wont sell a lot. It's on one platform and PS5 currently has only 6 million consoles in the wild.

Who knows how many copies have been sold, but I'd guess maybe 500k tops

I personally think this game is enjoyed more by the experienced gamers than the casual ones.

Totally.

It looks like a SP action/RPG romp. Ive played these kinds of games in the past. If I had a PS system, I wouldn't bother because the only highlights you hear about the series is its super hard and does the game have some kind of penalty where if you die the enemies get stronger? And you have to retread your tracks?

Forget it.

No doubt a game for hardcore action/RPG fans, but not for the general public. Sekiro is another game with an image of that.
.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Something can be niche and sell a lot at the same time. For example, Factorio (which is basically an autism simulator) sold 2.5 million copies despite never going on sale, and probably made similar or even more revenue than Bloodborne.

Good point.

There's different definitions of niche. One is low sales. Another is type of game like Bus Simulator or as you said Factorio. They don't have to go together.

Those old Guitar Hero and Rock Band games could be classified as niche too despite selling a ton. There's only so many music instrument games out there.

 

[Efren is G.O.A.T.]

Unless Demon's Souls on PS5 has legs because new PS5 users buy it because it's new, DS wont sell a lot. It's on one platform and PS5 currently has only 6 million consoles in the wild.

Who knows how many copies have been sold, but I'd guess maybe 500k tops

Totally.

It looks like a SP action/RPG romp. Ive played these kinds of games in the past. If I had a PS system, I wouldn't bother because the only highlights you hear about the series is its super hard and does the game have some kind of penalty where if you die the enemies get stronger? And you have to retread your tracks?

Forget it.

No doubt a game for hardcore action/RPG fans, but not for the general public. Sekiro is another game with an image of that.
.

It's quite interesting to see so many different level of skills within the gaming community.

I mean I have finished all the dark souls+demons souls but haven't finished Sekiro (can't beat the last boss) and Bloodborne (waiting for 60fps one day) so I would consider myself an average core gamer. Not too bad but definitely not one of the good ones. I see some people online play through a dark souls game at lvl 1 no armor and no damage and that amazes me, I could NEVER do that. That being said, my girlfriend who loves games but more on the easier side of things would probably never be able to reach the first boss in any souls games unless she practiced for a long time.

 

[Miles708]

Dark Souls is good, the genre as a whole is crap. Only From cracked the code, and mayyyyybe Nioh. The rest is passable at best.

Unless Demon's Souls on PS5 has legs because new PS5 users buy it because it's new, DS wont sell a lot. It's on one platform and PS5 currently has only 6 million consoles in the wild.

Who knows how many copies have been sold, but I'd guess maybe 500k tops

Totally.

It looks like a SP action/RPG romp. Ive played these kinds of games in the past. If I had a PS system, I wouldn't bother because the only highlights you hear about the series is its super hard and does the game have some kind of penalty where if you die the enemies get stronger? And you have to retread your tracks?

Forget it.

No doubt a game for hardcore action/RPG fans, but not for the general public. Sekiro is another game with an image of that.
.

500k sold on 6 million user base, makes around 1 copy every 12 users. I'm not a marketing guru but wouldn't that be more than "good enough" ?

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Dark Souls is good, the genre as a whole is crap. Only From cracked the code, and mayyyyybe Nioh. The rest is passable at best.



500k sold on 6 million user base, makes around 1 copy every 12 users. I'm not a marketing guru but wouldn't that be more than "good enough" ?

I took a guess.

As for if it being a great seller or not, depends on expectations. With such a low user base, if it did sell 500k that sounds good to me.

But if anyone is thinking this game should be selling like gangbusters despite the series never being a huge sellers like the FIFAs of the world, the game will only sell so many copies.

The one outlier is it's a new game at launch among only a handful of other new launch games. So some gamers may force themselves to buy it for sake of newness.

 

[Aion002]

They are popular with people that has good taste.... Unfortunately there are more people with poor taste that likes things like Fortnite...

 

[Bernd Lauert]

500k sold on 6 million user base, makes around 1 copy every 12 users. I'm not a marketing guru but wouldn't that be more than "good enough" ?

Considering it's the only real exclusive on PS5 so far, it's kind of a low number. Especially compared to something like Nintendo exclusives.

 

[Spaceman292]

Because I think they should have exploded way more than they did with its popularity.

You don't see much AAA Soulsborne games, yet you see a bunch of AAA BR games. (Extends to AA games too)

They're as popular as they need to be, and you don't get many because they're difficult to make and play. It's not a complicated idea.
Popular things are for dumdums, clever things are for cleverers. Because more people are dummm than smrt.

 

[sackings]

They are popular with people that has good taste.... Unfortunately there are more people with poor taste that likes things like Fortnite...

its the same with anything, the most popular movies/music/books are mainstream trash

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Because I think they should have exploded way more than they did with its popularity.

You don't see much AAA Soulsborne games, yet you see a bunch of AAA BR games. (Extends to AA games too)

Probably due to BR games (or any other giant battle game) having tons of mtx, so companies jump on board. These games can also be played on any platform, including mobile.

I don't think the typical gamer wants to try playing a DS game on a smartphone.

 

[johntown]

"Real" gamers like them.

 

[Miles708]

Considering it's the only real exclusive on PS5 so far, it's kind of a low number. Especially compared to something like Nintendo exclusives.

Didn't horizon sold like 10 million? in a 120 million install base, the attach rate is pretty similar. Assuming 500k is a plausible estimate, of course.

 

[DeepEnigma]

If they weren't so popular, then why are all the casual gamers crying for an "easy mode?"

 

[jaysius]

Right now they're one of the very few genres that no matter how pea brained the hacks are making the clone, they haven't been raped by P2W or F2P mechanics in full priced games.

 

[Moonjt9]

I don’t see any other game as a like button on this site. Praise the sun \[T]/

 

[RedWhiteBlue]

I like them but personally I am not fussed if they are popular or not.

On one hand if they are popular you might get Bloodborne 2 or something totally new.

On the other hand it's a niche genre and if it gets too popular then you'll see a shift toward more mainstream standards and the games will become more generic.

 

[Eric187]

"Real" gamers like them.

 

[tommib]

I dont want to imagine a world without FromSoft. I would probably have quit playing altogether by now if not for their games and influence they've had on the industry.

Totally agree. They made me believe in the medium again. I remember when DS came in 2009 and how games were all hand holding and 0 difficulty. DS was a revolution. The whole game was a puzzle so satisfying to put together.

 

[johntown]

Sorry that person is not a REAL gamer. Just look at how he uses a controller. Looks more like a Fortnite player to me.

 

[Eric187]

Sorry that person is not a REAL gamer. Just look at how he uses a controller. Looks more like a Fortnite player to me.

How about this then?

 

[Imru’ al-Qays]

Totally agree. They made me believe in the medium again. I remember when DS came in 2009 and how games were all hand holding and 0 difficulty. DS was a revolution. The whole game was a puzzle so satisfying to put together.

Yeah, the interesting thing about Souls is that people are in love with the series as adults to the same extent that they were in love with Final Fantasy or Zelda in middle school. There's really nothing else like it in the entire medium.