There’s been a lot of talks lately about the player base stats for Elden Ring and claims that the latest title by FromSoftware is dying out. Here’s the thing though - in a game that was built to mainly be played single-player, the online aspect is only just an add-on concept. Not only that, but a player base going from nearly one million to 500,000 would be bad for literally any other game BUT Elden Ring.
Looking up the stats now as I write this and it looks like the number has gone down a bit further to just under 400,000 players. The reason this doesn’t mean anything for Elden Ring has a little bit to do with the fact I brought up before, but as for the main reason: most players have simply been bamboozled!
As someone who never got into the Souls games and only really enjoyed challenging titles to be in a 2D or puzzle-based experience, I can still honestly say that purchasing Elden Ring crossed my mind. It looks amazing, everybody I saw playing it was having a blast, it was all the internet talked about for weeks at a time, and the hype was driven by countless factors. However, I knew to remind myself that the genre of the game simply means that I will not enjoy my time on the game.
There are a bunch of franchises out today that I am not into, so I am used to having to explain that while I understand the appeal, it just isn’t for me. This gave me experience in denying things regardless of the hype around them. Not every player is that lucky and, in fact, I would imagine that there were countless players that got the game based on the hype and countless top review scores only to find out that they are in for a rough time.
This is a title that, like the previous Souls titles, offers a ‘Git Gud’ experience. If you don’t have the patience to practice and hone your skills, you’re gonna have a bad time. And that is exactly what happened to the majority of players. Look at the achievement records alone! So many players haven’t even beaten the first boss!
So no, Elden Ring isn’t a dying game. The player base is simply being weeded out, where those that got bamboozled by the hype and the appeal of the game are leaving while players that truly enjoy the challenging exploration experience are staying.
Don’t lose hope Tarnished, the truly maidenless are simply leaving.
