For most games, especially single-player titles, their peak popularity usually comes in the first and second weeks after release.
After that, the hype gradually fades, especially for games that had a big promotional push before launch.
This is pretty much the norm in the gaming world.
For many players, once they've beaten a single-player game, apart from collecting items or replaying it, most won't go through it again.
They've already seen the story, so unless there's something fresh in the gameplay, it's hard to get motivated for another run.
On top of that, developers usually don't keep promoting the game afterward, so its popularity naturally declines.
But Dark Souls was a complete exception.
Its popularity just kept climbing.
As more players finished it and discovered its deeper details, its review score rose from the initial 8.3 to 9.3, and it still seemed to have room to grow.
This also left countless game designers in the industry feeling baffled.
"Why is Dark Souls getting more and more praise? I don't get it!"
"The main thing is that Dark Souls' score really was underrated before. Now it's bouncing back, but what I really can't figure out is, hasn't it been almost a month since it launched? Why is the hype even higher now?"
"Yeah! Video platforms and streaming sites are basically flooded with Dark Souls content!"
"All I can say is Lucas and his Nebula Games are dangerous!"
"But looking at third-party sales numbers, even though Dark Souls is hot, the sales don't seem that crazy. First-month sales probably capped at four million."
"That's just because the hype is so huge. Four million in the first month for a big title is low? With discounts later, it's only a matter of time before it hits ten million."
"It feels like Dark Souls' design goes completely against all the usual rules of ARPGs! How can it be this successful?"
As Dark Souls exploded in popularity, the whole gaming industry kept talking about this phenomenon of a game.
Major developers and designers also started studying Dark Souls in reverse.
Before this, everyone thought Lucas had messed up.
No mini-map, too much difficulty, harsh death penalties — all of these were reasons players complained about Dark Souls early on.
But why did these exact things turn into strengths over time?
Nobody could figure it out!
Countless game designers looked at Dark Souls' unshakable popularity and started doubting everything they knew.
It completely overturned their understanding of game design.
Some were even more frustrated — those developers and designers who tried to swoop in and steal players when Dark Souls' reviews tanked at launch.
Now they were all stunned.
At EagleFalcon Entertainment, Simmons felt his blood pressure rising, his vision almost seeing stars.
He had imagined many scenarios, but he never thought a game that seemed doomed at launch could completely turn things around without changing its content.
"The game isn't the problem — the players are. Players have to adapt to the game."
This is a common joke among game designers.
Veterans in the field rarely take it seriously.
But Simmons never expected Dark Souls to actually prove this saying true in some way.
What's more, its hype still wasn't cooling down at all.
Now EagleFalcon Entertainment faced an awkward choice:
Should they release their new game or not?
If they release it, they'll have to go head-to-head with Dark Souls, and soon after, two huge VR titles from SkyNova and NetDragon will also be coming.
If they don't release it, all the marketing they'd already done will be wasted.
In the office, Simmons looked at his team staring at him in silence. After a moment, he gave them a way out.
"I think our game still has room for improvement in story and gameplay. To give players a better experience, I believe we should delay it. After all, no one remembers on-time releases if they're garbage. A delay is so we can give players the game they expect — all for the players!"
Looking at his team, Simmons remembered something Lucas had said at the gameplay showcase and copied it word for word.
And honestly, it worked pretty well.
Why delay?
It's not about being afraid of losing to competitors or low sales. It's all for the players' sake!
Just like Simmons, many of the big titles announced earlier ended up delaying their release around the same time.
Of course, there were still one or two games that launched as planned.
But none of them were RPGs.
.........
As for the impact Dark Souls had on the industry, Lucas didn't pay much attention to that.
Right now, he was more focused on the overseas release of Dark Souls.
Even though Target Software handled many of Nebula Games' titles, their main focus was still on Dark Souls.
For translation, multiple languages were worked on at the same time, but for voice acting, only English was recorded.
From approval documents in each country to online promotion, Target Software clearly had high expectations for Dark Souls' overseas performance.
Once the game passed all reviews, its trailers started being shown in different countries.
The main promotion was through teasers and gameplay videos.
While the marketing wasn't huge, it still caught the attention of people in the domestic gaming scene.
Soon, news about it began spreading through the industry.
"Have you heard? Dark Souls is getting an overseas release!"
"Seriously?"
"Go check some big overseas gaming communities and forums yourself. They're already running Dark Souls ads."
"Well, it's not that surprising, right? The game's a huge hit here, and it's a fantasy title to begin with."
"Yeah, not really unexpected. Actually, I think Nebula Games' earlier indie titles would've done pretty well overseas too, especially Valiant Hearts: The Great War. After all, it's based on a European war."
"True, but Nebula Games mainly focused on the domestic market before. Still, do you think Dark Souls can get popular abroad?"
"Who can say for sure? But I think there's a good chance. The overseas market doesn't really have any big competitive releases right now."
On domestic social media and gaming forums, plenty of players were talking about it.
"I heard Dark Souls is getting an overseas version!"
"Overseas version or not, doesn't really have much to do with us."
"I wonder if they'll open overseas servers later. Kinda want to invade some foreign players."
"Damn, that's just bullying! But take me with you!"
"Come on, look at your pitiful playtime. You haven't even cleared one run yet, and you're already thinking about fighting foreigners? Watch out or you'll be the one getting crushed."
While domestic players were buzzing with excitement—
Target Software's overseas promotion was starting to pay off.
But since their budget for marketing was still limited, running large-scale ads wasn't really an option.
Instead, they went with the most common and straightforward approach in the gaming world—early media reviews.
Back in the domestic market, Lucas never bothered with media reviews.
The press and players got the game at the same time.
But because of Dark Souls' unique nature as a game, many major domestic media outlets didn't dare to speak too soon.
Some smaller outlets did publish reviews on the first day, but they had no real depth at all. Whether they praised or criticized it, they completely missed the point. Later, when players truly understood what Dark Souls was, you could say every one of those reviews got taken down after being heavily criticized.
As for more reputable and credibility-focused major outlets, by the time they fully grasped and understood Dark Souls, most of the players who had been following the game already knew what kind of experience it was.
It could only be seen as them adding a late review.
Overseas, things were different. Considering Dark Souls' quality and how to quickly grab the attention of foreign players, review scores were clearly the fastest and most cost-effective method.
The well-known overseas media site GameSpot gave its score right before the release of Dark Souls' overseas version.
"Before reviewing the game, I want to express my amazement — the unique map design, the unique combat system, the unique gameplay concept. It's clear that this has opened up a brand-new path for ARPGs in the future.
We can even boldly predict that the style of gameplay in Dark Souls might very well become a unique branch in the ARPG genre.
It's incredibly hardcore, yet it makes players feel both pain and joy. Death is like a close companion that stays with you throughout the journey.
When it comes to the story, unlike past ARPGs that present a thrilling, gripping plot right in front of you, Dark Souls chooses to wrap joy in layers of suffering.
If you want to savor it, you must fight and fail again and again, grow braver with every attempt, and ultimately surpass yourself. This gives you an unprecedented sense of achievement and satisfaction. It's a bold approach — one small misstep and they could have crashed and burned.
But they pulled it off. The game is damn irresistible. The level and boss designs are perfect — it's not difficult just for the sake of being difficult, but truly well thought-out. Every time I cleared an area, it felt like solving a puzzle, and every time I defeated a seemingly unbeatable boss, I could feel my blood boiling."
"On top of that, there are many NPC side stories in the game, but without clear guidance. Players have to dig them out themselves, and it's even possible to accidentally get those NPCs killed, completely cutting off that storyline in a first playthrough.
The art style and map design are also captivating. Take the High Wall of Lothric at the start, for example — there are many exploration routes, and the game subtly guides players to check every corner of the map.
The placement and patrol routes of enemies are also carefully designed, so much so that going through an area forward or backward gives players completely different experiences.
The wide variety of weapons further enriches the combat system, making it far from dull or repetitive.
Score: 9.5. Recommendation: If you can accept and endure a bit of pain at the start, Dark Souls is absolutely worth experiencing."
After GameSpot's 9.5 rating, other well-known overseas outlets also gave the game high scores.
(End of The Chapter)
---
Read +100 advanced chapters on my patre*n
patr eon.com/GustinaKamiya
Free Tier can read 3 advanced chapters
---