For the last couple of months, I've been trying to figure out why everyone currently drawing breath in this cursed earthly realm can't stop playing, or talking about, Elden Ring.

It's a mystery. It makes no sense.

Elden Ring, a brutally challenging open-world RPG, hasn't just been popular. The numbers have been astronomical.

Popularity was to be expected: FromSoftware has released a number of hit titles. Dark Souls and Bloodborne have deservedly reached millions of players. But Elden Ring's level of success has put the famed developer into a whole other stratosphere.

FromSoftware's last game, the highly rated, super popular Sekiro, took a year to shift 5 million copies. Bloodborne, a PlayStation 4 exclusive, sold around 3 million copies over its lifespan. FromSoftware's most successful release, Dark Souls 3, took around four years to sell 10 million copies.

Elden Ring sold 12 million copies in just over two weeks. Two weeks.

Those aren't Dark Souls numbers, those are Grand Theft Auto numbers. Elden Ring is matching pace with GTA V, a video game that's sold 160 million copies to date. When you consider what Elden Ring is -- a niche, system-rich RPG so obstinate it literally hides its tutorial from players -- the level of popularity is ludicrous. Elden Ring isn't a watered-down product aimed at the broadest popular audience. It's not Avengers Endgame. It's like a David Lynch movie somehow pulling in a billion dollars at the box office.

SOURCE: Why the Hell Is Elden Ring So Popular? - CNET