Elden Ring survey tries to figure out why so many people bought the game

Water is wet, and Elden Ring is a popular game — 12 million copies sold in less than a month is astounding. But why did so many people pick it up? How many of those 12 million copies were for newcomers? At least one survey seeks to answer these questions.

GI.biz conducted a survey of its readers, and of the more than 200 people who responded, 35% of them had picked up Elden Ring. Of those, about a quarter were indeed new players who had not experienced a Soulsborne game before. There were a handful of reasons for making Elden Ring their first go, with the biggest two being friend recommendation (40%) and George R.R. Martin’s involvement (27%). The game’s advertising and general challenge were also given as reasons.

This is just one survey of course, but it’s indicative of the overall popularity of Elden Ring — there’s a reason it topped Steam’s wishlist for so long. Notably, GI.biz’s survey showed that the majority of gamers who responded did not actually play Elden Ring. A lack of time to devote to it and its difficulty were the top reasons why.

That’s understandable. As beautiful as Elden Ring is, it’s also very challenging. Margit the Fell Omen, the perfect opening boss fight, is the first roadblock many players will come to. If you need a little help, we can teach you how to beat him.