Elden Ring Nightreign's Wild Ride: Why Player Drops Don't Spell Doom
Elden Ring's Nightreign, a bold multiplayer spin-off, soared with 2M sales but faced steep declines; upcoming updates aim to revive its player base.
When FromSoftware whipped out Elden Ring Nightreign at The Game Awards, fans scratched their heads harder than a Tarnished fighting Malenia. This wasn't your grandma's Souls-like! Instead of a story-rich DLC or sequel, they served up a battle royale-flavored multiplayer spinoff that remixed the original's DNA. Talk about a plot twist! Though promised an offline mode, the absence of curated solo content made veterans clutch their Estus Flasks in horror. But oh, how the tables turned when Nightreign hit shelves in May 2025!
The game exploded like a barrel of Boomhilda fireworks, selling over 2 million copies in 24 hours while racking up glowing reviews across Xbox, PlayStation, and PC. Nightreign strutted onto Steam with 313,000 concurrent players—roughly a third of Elden Ring's all-time peak—and partied like it was 1999. But by early June, the guest list dwindled faster than free crab cakes at a seagull convention. Current peak? Just 53,000 players, an 82% nosedive from launch. Heck, the OG Elden Ring now draws bigger crowds on Steam! 🎮💥
The Steamroller Coaster
| Timeline | Concurrent Players | Change from Peak |
|---|---|---|
| Launch Day (May) | 313,000 | — |
| June 7 | 180,000 | ↓42% |
| July 2025 | 53,000 | ↓82% |
Before you start composing funeral dirges, though, remember: Nightreign ain't your typical multiplayer title. Game director Junya Ishizaki hammered this home months ago—it's not a live-service game. No battle passes, no microtransactions, no FOMO seasons. It's a complete, paid package that doesn't need players glued to screens 24/7 to turn a profit. Think of it like that one-hit-wonder band that drops a perfect album then vanishes—still legendary, just not hogging the spotlight.
People Also Ask
- Q: Is Nightreign dying?
A: Nah, it's just napping! Player dips don't hurt a non-live-service title.
- Q: Can I enjoy it solo?
A: Offline mode exists, but it's like eating cereal without milk—functional but missing the magic.
- Q: Will updates revive it?
A: FromSoft's cooking new content that'll lure players back like moths to a Grace site.
Here's where it gets juicy: Nightreign's getting meaty updates! On July 30, a free patch drops with:
-
👯 Two-player co-op mode (finally!)
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🧰 Relic filtering options
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🛠️ Quality-of-life tweaks
Fans begged for duo action since day -1, so this could reignite the player base. Plus, a paid DLC arrives by year's end, bundling new bosses and characters for Deluxe Edition owners. FromSoft's keeping details under wraps tighter than a Mimic Chest, but you know it'll deliver that signature \u201coh-god-I-died-again\u201d charm.
So here’s the million-rune question: With co-op mode unlocking soon and DLC looming, will Nightreign rise like a Phoenix from the Steam charts’ ashes… or remain a cult classic for the hardcore few?