Elden Ring DLC Player Surge: Capitalize on Mass Appeal & Co-op Demand
The surge in Elden Ring's 'Nightreign' (DLC) player count to over 300,000 in just an hour really underscores the strong market for challenging ARPGs that have wide appeal. This event highlights several key business and marketing opportunities:
-
For Game Developers: The high player engagement clearly shows that investing more in this genre is a smart move. A major opportunity here is addressing the strong and vocal player demand for better and more seamless co-op multiplayer features. Comments like "It blows my mind it isn't 2-player" and wishes to "play with my sister" highlight this need. Enhancing co-op and considering crossplay, which has been a point of frustration, can significantly boost player satisfaction and attract both new and existing players.
-
For Marketing & Ecosystem Partners: The massive influx of active players fuels the surrounding ecosystem. This includes:
- Content Creation & Streaming: A spike in viewership and content creation (gameplay, guides, lore discussions) across platforms, offering great promotional opportunities.
- Merchandise: Increased player investment leads to higher demand for related physical and digital merchandise.
- Community Platforms: More activity on forums, social media, and dedicated community hubs, which can be leveraged for engagement and organic marketing.
The sustained success challenges the "niche" label, showing that well-designed difficulty combined with rich worlds and ARPG elements can achieve mainstream blockbuster status.
Origin Reddit Post
r/gamingnews
Elden Ring Nightreign player count surges to more than 300,000 players in just 60 minutes, eclipsing the entire Dark Souls trilogy combined
Posted by u/ControlCAD•05/30/2025
Top Comments
u/Girlmode
Dude near 50% completion rate for a game like Elden ring is fucking insane tho. Most games have that because the statistics count everyone that logs on for a few hours to any game. Realises t
u/Girlmode
Dude near 50% completion rate for a game like Elden ring is fucking insane tho. Most games have that because the statistics count everyone that logs on for a few hours to any game. Realises t
u/OkBlueberry8144
It's worse for games like COD; iirc it was something like less than 10% who beat the campaign for one of the games. I think that's what led them to ditch it for BO4.
A 50% completion rate is
u/Umbralhatred
But to some people this still is the niche hard genre that is not for mainstream casuals 😂
u/The_Paragone
On CD keys the deluxe version is like 43 bucks
u/dragon1500z
rip dark souls; why fromsoftware will ever make another single player when a battle royale earn that
u/anon9645356
invite your friend through the invite feature and make sure that your password is DISABLED. If you have it enabled then you will not find a 3rd.
u/Aaron_P9
Speaking as a mainstream gamer (not a "casual" - I'm not playing The Sims 4 for 3 hours a month): I listened to the hype, bought it, enjoyed it immensely for about 25 hours and then I got to
u/ozzzymanduous
My PC is also broke, as am I, if not I'd play with you
u/CapitalismIsFun
It definitely helps that the way Elden Ring is designed makes the game a lot easier than more linear souls games. In a linear souls or soulslike if you get stuck in something you kinda just h
u/diglyd
Dang, if my Pc workstation didn't blow up on me a few months back, I'd play with you, even though I'm not much of a Dark Souls player.
I'd love to play anything right now, lol. Not having
u/RageSkylar
We must have been on matchmaking for 30 mins and not one player joined
u/CapitalismIsFun
It definitely helps that the way Elden Ring is designed makes the game a lot easier than more linear souls games. In a linear souls or soulslike if you get stuck in something you kinda just h
u/Aaron_P9
Speaking as a mainstream gamer (not a "casual" - I'm not playing The Sims 4 for 3 hours a month): I listened to the hype, bought it, enjoyed it immensely for about 25 hours and then I got to
u/TAJack1
There’s not even crossplay, insisting that someone has 3 friends who want to spend $60 on a game + have them all on the same console is fucking stupid. Great that From is finding success but
u/EffYewSpez
300k people and I still can’t find any friend to play with. :P
u/Dry_Necessary7765
>But it's pretty well documented at this point that less than half the players *actually beat the game.*
I think that's true for pretty much every game.
u/TheSuedeLoaf
I think it's more nuanced than that.
ER has a lot of mass appeal with the fantasy setting, massive open world, stellar visual design, and ARPG elements. But it's pretty well documented at t
u/ozzzymanduous
My PC is also broke, as am I, if not I'd play with you
u/Master_Opening8434
why is it only being compared to those games and not the Game that it shares a name with. SotE had 700k players at launch
u/Pitiful_Dig_165
Hardly a battle royale
u/Kastar_Troy
Not just casuals, not everyone likes the slow paced combat
u/TheSuedeLoaf
I think it's more nuanced than that.
ER has a lot of mass appeal with the fantasy setting, massive open world, stellar visual design, and ARPG elements. But it's pretty well documented at t
u/Aaron_P9
Speaking as a mainstream gamer (not a "casual" - I'm not playing The Sims 4 for 3 hours a month): I listened to the hype, bought it, enjoyed it immensely for about 25 hours and then I got to
u/EffYewSpez
300k people and I still can’t find any friend to play with. :P
u/Girlmode
Dude near 50% completion rate for a game like Elden ring is fucking insane tho. Most games have that because the statistics count everyone that logs on for a few hours to any game. Realises t
u/EffYewSpez
300k people and I still can’t find any friend to play with. :P
u/Glum-Supermarket1274
No one sane thinks souls is niche anymore. Elden ring sold 30 million copies. There are only a handful of games that have sold that much in the entire history of gaming. There are entire seri
u/MahoneyBear
You can absolutely play with randoms and it’s fine. Been doing that all night and it’s been great.
u/TheSuedeLoaf
I think it's more nuanced than that.
ER has a lot of mass appeal with the fantasy setting, massive open world, stellar visual design, and ARPG elements. But it's pretty well documented at t
u/BilboniusBagginius
You can queue with two people. You'll just have another player added through matchmaking.
u/sirletssdance2
You just got to ride your horse for the giant boi
u/iSephtanx
Tweak the multiplayer option. Enable them disable the cross region button.
Matchmaking seems effed. We found a third person only when tweaking that option, then starting the expedition again
u/Aaron_P9
Speaking as a mainstream gamer (not a "casual" - I'm not playing The Sims 4 for 3 hours a month): I listened to the hype, bought it, enjoyed it immensely for about 25 hours and then I got to
u/CapitalismIsFun
It definitely helps that the way Elden Ring is designed makes the game a lot easier than more linear souls games. In a linear souls or soulslike if you get stuck in something you kinda just h
u/RageSkylar
We must have been on matchmaking for 30 mins and not one player joined
u/RageSkylar
We must have been on matchmaking for 30 mins and not one player joined
u/The_Paragone
On CD keys the deluxe version is like 43 bucks
u/tyrannyrex13
Not sure if this helps but me and my friend were playing with a third random each run and it worked out fine, it just put us in matchmaking for a third
u/TAJack1
There’s not even crossplay, insisting that someone has 3 friends who want to spend $60 on a game + have them all on the same console is fucking stupid. Great that From is finding success but
u/CapitalismIsFun
It definitely helps that the way Elden Ring is designed makes the game a lot easier than more linear souls games. In a linear souls or soulslike if you get stuck in something you kinda just h
u/MahoneyBear
You can absolutely play with randoms and it’s fine. Been doing that all night and it’s been great.
u/MahoneyBear
You can absolutely play with randoms and it’s fine. Been doing that all night and it’s been great.
u/Aaron_P9
Speaking as a mainstream gamer (not a "casual" - I'm not playing The Sims 4 for 3 hours a month): I listened to the hype, bought it, enjoyed it immensely for about 25 hours and then I got to
u/TheSuedeLoaf
I think it's more nuanced than that.
ER has a lot of mass appeal with the fantasy setting, massive open world, stellar visual design, and ARPG elements. But it's pretty well documented at t
u/RageSkylar
We must have been on matchmaking for 30 mins and not one player joined
u/MahoneyBear
You can absolutely play with randoms and it’s fine. Been doing that all night and it’s been great.
u/BilboniusBagginius
You can queue with two people. You'll just have another player added through matchmaking.
u/iSephtanx
Tweak the multiplayer option. Enable them disable the cross region button.
Matchmaking seems effed. We found a third person only when tweaking that option, then starting the expedition again
u/diglyd
Dang, if my Pc workstation didn't blow up on me a few months back, I'd play with you, even though I'm not much of a Dark Souls player.
I'd love to play anything right now, lol. Not having
u/Master_Opening8434
why is it only being compared to those games and not the Game that it shares a name with. SotE had 700k players at launch
u/tyrannyrex13
Not sure if this helps but me and my friend were playing with a third random each run and it worked out fine, it just put us in matchmaking for a third
u/tiger2205_6
If I wasn’t broke as fuck I’d play with you
u/anon9645356
invite your friend through the invite feature and make sure that your password is DISABLED. If you have it enabled then you will not find a 3rd.
u/anon9645356
invite your friend through the invite feature and make sure that your password is DISABLED. If you have it enabled then you will not find a 3rd.
u/The_Paragone
On CD keys the deluxe version is like 43 bucks
u/Doctor3663
Damn u sound miserable. It’s not worth it to get upset over a side project game.
u/ControlCAD
>The Elden Ring: Nightreign player count has already surged to more than 250,000 players on Steam alone, just 30 minutes after launch.
>Steam Charts listed the Elden Ring Nightreign pl
u/DetonateDeadInside
Is this game generally a bad idea if you're just one dude and would be relying on match making and the (lack of) voice chat? Does it require coordination like that or can you just wing it and
u/BilboniusBagginius
You can queue with two people. You'll just have another player added through matchmaking.
u/Glum-Supermarket1274
No one sane thinks souls is niche anymore. Elden ring sold 30 million copies. There are only a handful of games that have sold that much in the entire history of gaming. There are entire seri
u/Umbralhatred
But to some people this still is the niche hard genre that is not for mainstream casuals 😂
u/BilboniusBagginius
You can queue with two people. You'll just have another player added through matchmaking.
u/The_Paragone
On CD keys the deluxe version is like 43 bucks
u/Umbralhatred
But to some people this still is the niche hard genre that is not for mainstream casuals 😂
u/DetonateDeadInside
Is this game generally a bad idea if you're just one dude and would be relying on match making and the (lack of) voice chat? Does it require coordination like that or can you just wing it and
u/ozzzymanduous
My PC is also broke, as am I, if not I'd play with you
u/[deleted]
[deleted]
u/Girlmode
Dude near 50% completion rate for a game like Elden ring is fucking insane tho. Most games have that because the statistics count everyone that logs on for a few hours to any game. Realises t
u/Aaron_P9
Speaking as a mainstream gamer (not a "casual" - I'm not playing The Sims 4 for 3 hours a month): I listened to the hype, bought it, enjoyed it immensely for about 25 hours and then I got to
u/Glum-Supermarket1274
No one sane thinks souls is niche anymore. Elden ring sold 30 million copies. There are only a handful of games that have sold that much in the entire history of gaming. There are entire seri
u/EffYewSpez
300k people and I still can’t find any friend to play with. :P
u/Aaron_P9
Speaking as a mainstream gamer (not a "casual" - I'm not playing The Sims 4 for 3 hours a month): I listened to the hype, bought it, enjoyed it immensely for about 25 hours and then I got to
u/CapitalismIsFun
It definitely helps that the way Elden Ring is designed makes the game a lot easier than more linear souls games. In a linear souls or soulslike if you get stuck in something you kinda just h
u/OkBlueberry8144
It's worse for games like COD; iirc it was something like less than 10% who beat the campaign for one of the games. I think that's what led them to ditch it for BO4.
A 50% completion rate is
u/The_Paragone
On CD keys the deluxe version is like 43 bucks
u/sirletssdance2
It’s a little company within the company that made it
u/RageSkylar
We must have been on matchmaking for 30 mins and not one player joined
u/Umbralhatred
But to some people this still is the niche hard genre that is not for mainstream casuals 😂
u/AscendedViking7
Nightreign, Sekiro and Armored Core 6 are insanely friggin fast paced, man.
u/Master_Opening8434
why is it only being compared to those games and not the Game that it shares a name with. SotE had 700k players at launch
u/ControlCAD
>The Elden Ring: Nightreign player count has already surged to more than 250,000 players on Steam alone, just 30 minutes after launch.
>Steam Charts listed the Elden Ring Nightreign pl
u/diglyd
Dang, if my Pc workstation didn't blow up on me a few months back, I'd play with you, even though I'm not much of a Dark Souls player.
I'd love to play anything right now, lol. Not having
u/iSephtanx
Tweak the multiplayer option. Enable them disable the cross region button.
Matchmaking seems effed. We found a third person only when tweaking that option, then starting the expedition again
u/Lazer_Kellinski
Blows my mind it isn't 2 player. Me and my sister really liked playing Elden ring together, we were excited for nightreign. Hope they wake up and add support one day.
u/Kastar_Troy
Not just casuals, not everyone likes the slow paced combat
u/orze
Should be comparing to Elden Ring base not Souls games from decade ago that a lot of people played on consoles mostly back then and before the general surge of steam/pc players in recent year
u/tyrannyrex13
Not sure if this helps but me and my friend were playing with a third random each run and it worked out fine, it just put us in matchmaking for a third
u/Dry_Necessary7765
>But it's pretty well documented at this point that less than half the players *actually beat the game.*
I think that's true for pretty much every game.
u/Girlmode
Dude near 50% completion rate for a game like Elden ring is fucking insane tho. Most games have that because the statistics count everyone that logs on for a few hours to any game. Realises t
u/TAJack1
There’s not even crossplay, insisting that someone has 3 friends who want to spend $60 on a game + have them all on the same console is fucking stupid. Great that From is finding success but
u/EffYewSpez
300k people and I still can’t find any friend to play with. :P
u/ControlCAD
>The Elden Ring: Nightreign player count has already surged to more than 250,000 players on Steam alone, just 30 minutes after launch.
>Steam Charts listed the Elden Ring Nightreign pl
u/iSephtanx
Tweak the multiplayer option. Enable them disable the cross region button.
Matchmaking seems effed. We found a third person only when tweaking that option, then starting the expedition again
u/RollingDownTheHills
Imagine being this wilfully clueless.
u/CapitalismIsFun
It definitely helps that the way Elden Ring is designed makes the game a lot easier than more linear souls games. In a linear souls or soulslike if you get stuck in something you kinda just h
u/TAJack1
There’s not even crossplay, insisting that someone has 3 friends who want to spend $60 on a game + have them all on the same console is fucking stupid. Great that From is finding success but
u/OkBlueberry8144
It's worse for games like COD; iirc it was something like less than 10% who beat the campaign for one of the games. I think that's what led them to ditch it for BO4.
A 50% completion rate is
u/DetonateDeadInside
Is this game generally a bad idea if you're just one dude and would be relying on match making and the (lack of) voice chat? Does it require coordination like that or can you just wing it and
u/OkBlueberry8144
It's worse for games like COD; iirc it was something like less than 10% who beat the campaign for one of the games. I think that's what led them to ditch it for BO4.
A 50% completion rate is
u/Glum-Supermarket1274
No one sane thinks souls is niche anymore. Elden ring sold 30 million copies. There are only a handful of games that have sold that much in the entire history of gaming. There are entire seri
u/ozzzymanduous
My PC is also broke, as am I, if not I'd play with you
u/Dry_Necessary7765
>But it's pretty well documented at this point that less than half the players *actually beat the game.*
I think that's true for pretty much every game.
u/ControlCAD
>The Elden Ring: Nightreign player count has already surged to more than 250,000 players on Steam alone, just 30 minutes after launch.
>Steam Charts listed the Elden Ring Nightreign pl
u/EffYewSpez
300k people and I still can’t find any friend to play with. :P
u/ControlCAD
>The Elden Ring: Nightreign player count has already surged to more than 250,000 players on Steam alone, just 30 minutes after launch.
>Steam Charts listed the Elden Ring Nightreign pl
u/BilboniusBagginius
You can queue with two people. You'll just have another player added through matchmaking.
u/ControlCAD
>The Elden Ring: Nightreign player count has already surged to more than 250,000 players on Steam alone, just 30 minutes after launch.
>Steam Charts listed the Elden Ring Nightreign pl
u/MahoneyBear
You can absolutely play with randoms and it’s fine. Been doing that all night and it’s been great.
u/Dry_Necessary7765
>But it's pretty well documented at this point that less than half the players *actually beat the game.*
I think that's true for pretty much every game.
u/Girlmode
Dude near 50% completion rate for a game like Elden ring is fucking insane tho. Most games have that because the statistics count everyone that logs on for a few hours to any game. Realises t
u/orze
Should be comparing to Elden Ring base not Souls games from decade ago that a lot of people played on consoles mostly back then and before the general surge of steam/pc players in recent year
u/Master_Opening8434
why is it only being compared to those games and not the Game that it shares a name with. SotE had 700k players at launch
u/orze
Should be comparing to Elden Ring base not Souls games from decade ago that a lot of people played on consoles mostly back then and before the general surge of steam/pc players in recent year
u/DetonateDeadInside
Is this game generally a bad idea if you're just one dude and would be relying on match making and the (lack of) voice chat? Does it require coordination like that or can you just wing it and
u/Dry_Necessary7765
>But it's pretty well documented at this point that less than half the players *actually beat the game.*
I think that's true for pretty much every game.
u/anon9645356
invite your friend through the invite feature and make sure that your password is DISABLED. If you have it enabled then you will not find a 3rd.
u/Lazer_Kellinski
Blows my mind it isn't 2 player. Me and my sister really liked playing Elden ring together, we were excited for nightreign. Hope they wake up and add support one day.
u/orze
Should be comparing to Elden Ring base not Souls games from decade ago that a lot of people played on consoles mostly back then and before the general surge of steam/pc players in recent year
u/DetonateDeadInside
Is this game generally a bad idea if you're just one dude and would be relying on match making and the (lack of) voice chat? Does it require coordination like that or can you just wing it and
u/Kastar_Troy
Cool, will check em out
u/tyrannyrex13
Not sure if this helps but me and my friend were playing with a third random each run and it worked out fine, it just put us in matchmaking for a third
u/Glum-Supermarket1274
No one sane thinks souls is niche anymore. Elden ring sold 30 million copies. There are only a handful of games that have sold that much in the entire history of gaming. There are entire seri
u/TAJack1
There’s not even crossplay, insisting that someone has 3 friends who want to spend $60 on a game + have them all on the same console is fucking stupid. Great that From is finding success but
u/diglyd
Dang, if my Pc workstation didn't blow up on me a few months back, I'd play with you, even though I'm not much of a Dark Souls player.
I'd love to play anything right now, lol. Not having
u/TAJack1
There’s not even crossplay, insisting that someone has 3 friends who want to spend $60 on a game + have them all on the same console is fucking stupid. Great that From is finding success but
u/Master_Opening8434
why is it only being compared to those games and not the Game that it shares a name with. SotE had 700k players at launch
u/TheSuedeLoaf
I think it's more nuanced than that.
ER has a lot of mass appeal with the fantasy setting, massive open world, stellar visual design, and ARPG elements. But it's pretty well documented at t
u/Lazer_Kellinski
Blows my mind it isn't 2 player. Me and my sister really liked playing Elden ring together, we were excited for nightreign. Hope they wake up and add support one day.
u/Umbralhatred
But to some people this still is the niche hard genre that is not for mainstream casuals 😂
u/The_Paragone
On CD keys the deluxe version is like 43 bucks
u/DetonateDeadInside
Is this game generally a bad idea if you're just one dude and would be relying on match making and the (lack of) voice chat? Does it require coordination like that or can you just wing it and
u/Kastar_Troy
Not just casuals, not everyone likes the slow paced combat
u/Umbralhatred
But to some people this still is the niche hard genre that is not for mainstream casuals 😂
u/diglyd
Dang, if my Pc workstation didn't blow up on me a few months back, I'd play with you, even though I'm not much of a Dark Souls player.
I'd love to play anything right now, lol. Not having
u/TheSuedeLoaf
I think it's more nuanced than that.
ER has a lot of mass appeal with the fantasy setting, massive open world, stellar visual design, and ARPG elements. But it's pretty well documented at t
u/Dry_Necessary7765
>But it's pretty well documented at this point that less than half the players *actually beat the game.*
I think that's true for pretty much every game.
u/Lazer_Kellinski
Blows my mind it isn't 2 player. Me and my sister really liked playing Elden ring together, we were excited for nightreign. Hope they wake up and add support one day.
u/Kastar_Troy
Not just casuals, not everyone likes the slow paced combat
u/ozzzymanduous
My PC is also broke, as am I, if not I'd play with you
u/TAJack1
There’s not even crossplay, insisting that someone has 3 friends who want to spend $60 on a game + have them all on the same console is fucking stupid. Great that From is finding success but
u/Lazer_Kellinski
Blows my mind it isn't 2 player. Me and my sister really liked playing Elden ring together, we were excited for nightreign. Hope they wake up and add support one day.
u/ControlCAD
>The Elden Ring: Nightreign player count has already surged to more than 250,000 players on Steam alone, just 30 minutes after launch.
>Steam Charts listed the Elden Ring Nightreign pl
u/stephen6686
awesome!
u/Lazer_Kellinski
Blows my mind it isn't 2 player. Me and my sister really liked playing Elden ring together, we were excited for nightreign. Hope they wake up and add support one day.
u/OkBlueberry8144
It's worse for games like COD; iirc it was something like less than 10% who beat the campaign for one of the games. I think that's what led them to ditch it for BO4.
A 50% completion rate is
u/orze
Should be comparing to Elden Ring base not Souls games from decade ago that a lot of people played on consoles mostly back then and before the general surge of steam/pc players in recent year
u/TheSuedeLoaf
I think it's more nuanced than that.
ER has a lot of mass appeal with the fantasy setting, massive open world, stellar visual design, and ARPG elements. But it's pretty well documented at t
u/TrickOut
Rest in pieces future FromSoft releases
u/Umbralhatred
But to some people this still is the niche hard genre that is not for mainstream casuals 😂
u/Dry_Necessary7765
>But it's pretty well documented at this point that less than half the players *actually beat the game.*
I think that's true for pretty much every game.
u/EffYewSpez
300k people and I still can’t find any friend to play with. :P
u/RageSkylar
We must have been on matchmaking for 30 mins and not one player joined
u/OkBlueberry8144
It's worse for games like COD; iirc it was something like less than 10% who beat the campaign for one of the games. I think that's what led them to ditch it for BO4.
A 50% completion rate is
u/Glum-Supermarket1274
No one sane thinks souls is niche anymore. Elden ring sold 30 million copies. There are only a handful of games that have sold that much in the entire history of gaming. There are entire seri
u/Master_Opening8434
why is it only being compared to those games and not the Game that it shares a name with. SotE had 700k players at launch
u/diglyd
Dang, if my Pc workstation didn't blow up on me a few months back, I'd play with you, even though I'm not much of a Dark Souls player.
I'd love to play anything right now, lol. Not having
u/tiger2205_6
If I wasn’t broke as fuck I’d play with you
u/diglyd
Dang, if my Pc workstation didn't blow up on me a few months back, I'd play with you, even though I'm not much of a Dark Souls player.
I'd love to play anything right now, lol. Not having
u/orze
Should be comparing to Elden Ring base not Souls games from decade ago that a lot of people played on consoles mostly back then and before the general surge of steam/pc players in recent year
u/Kastar_Troy
Not just casuals, not everyone likes the slow paced combat
u/ozzzymanduous
My PC is also broke, as am I, if not I'd play with you
u/BilboniusBagginius
You can queue with two people. You'll just have another player added through matchmaking.