The Duskbloods Is Becoming a Major Driver for Switch 2 Demand

If you've been keeping even half an eye on the buzz around The Duskbloods, you already know something unusual is happening here. What started out as a quiet, low-key FromSoftware project with barely any details attached to it has somehow turned into one of the most talked-about games heading into this entire console cycle.

And the numbers backing that up are honestly hard to ignore at this point. Word recently got out that The Duskbloods actually pulled in more playtest sign-ups than Elden Ring: Nightreign did back when that game was going through its own testing phase.

That surprise makes more sense once you look at where the hype started.

That's a strange thing to hear at first, because Nightreign had a much wider reach. It launched across PC, PlayStation, and XBOX, meaning millions more people could realistically apply for a spot in that test. The Duskbloods, on the other hand, is tied to Nintendo Switch 2 alone, a console with a far smaller install base right now. And yet, somehow, more people wanted in.

That kind of demand explains a lot about what happened when the actual test went live. According to the same insider, the servers buckled almost immediately. People couldn't connect. The opening session was rough enough that it became a talking point on its own, trending online while players sat there trying to log in.

On paper, that sounds like a bad look, but the framing from those close to the situation was more along the lines of surprise than embarrassment: nobody expected this level of turnout, and now there's a sense that The Duskbloods has more commercial potential than originally planned for.

Context matters here. Going into this year, The Duskbloods barely had any gameplay attached to it. Outside of one interview with Hidetaka Miyazaki, there wasn't much to go on. No trailers showing actual mechanics, no previews, nothing concrete.

That growing confidence is already showing up in early sales numbers too.

That's changed recently, with gameplay finally circulating and hands-on impressions starting to roll in, and the response has been strong enough that it wouldn't be shocking if The Duskbloods ends up being one of the defining reasons people buy into Nintendo Switch 2 this year.

That's especially true for anyone who's into FromSoftware's PvP-focused design or anyone who enjoys the studio's work in general but wants something a little different from the usual formula. For comparison, Elden Ring: Nightreign already did fine for itself, selling reasonably well once it launched on XBOX, PlayStation, and PC.

But there's an argument forming that The Duskbloods could climb even higher, mostly because of how much it's experimenting compared to what Nightreign was doing within the established Elden Ring framework. On top of all that, there's fresh pre-order data worth digging into. Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition jumped straight to the number one spot on the Nintendo Switch 2 eShop, and it did that in both the US and Japan.

That's notable because eShop rankings aren't based on how many units move; they're based on revenue. Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition is priced at $80, putting it above both Splatoon Raiders and Mario Kart World in terms of cost.

Pricing aside, the game itself has also been quietly improving behind the scenes.

So even if it isn't outselling those two in raw unit numbers, the higher price point is enough to push its total revenue past them, especially with a decent chunk of Mario Kart World's sales coming from pre-loaded codes rather than fresh purchases. Splatoon Raiders sits at $50 on the eShop, meaning there's a $30 gap between it and Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition, yet the FromSoftware release still climbed to the top anyway.

Some of that pricing makes more sense once you factor in what's actually included. Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition bundles in the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, which normally runs about $40 on its own. Add that to the standard $60 asking price most digital storefronts still charge for the base game, and you're technically looking at a $20 discount compared to buying everything separately.

The catch is that Nintendo Switch 2 doesn't give you the option to split the two. On XBOX, PlayStation, and PC, you can buy the base game by itself and decide later whether you want the DLC. Here, it's a package deal whether you want it that way or not.

Even with that limitation, the amount of content packed into Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition is hard to argue with. There's also been a noticeable shift in how the game runs. Recent footage shown to Japanese press indicates real improvement over how it looked last year, building on progress that first became visible around GDC earlier this year.

None of this happens in isolation, and the timing here isn't accidental.

At this point, there's enough evidence to say performance concerns are being addressed properly rather than just talked about. Part of what makes this version appealing comes down to convenience. You get the ability to carry an enormous game with hundreds of hours of content wherever you go, without needing a TV setup or a PC handheld to make it work.

A lot of people simply don't have the time to sit down for long stretches with something as dense as Elden Ring, so having a portable option changes how realistic it is to actually finish it. That alone is a big part of why Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition shot up the charts so fast.

There's also a strong case that momentum from The Duskbloods is spilling over and boosting interest in Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition too, and vice versa. The two are functioning almost like a coordinated push, both coming from FromSoftware within a short window of each other.

That's a meaningful shift, considering how limited FromSoftware's presence on Nintendo hardware has been historically. Dark Souls Remastered came to Switch 1 at one point, but it felt more like a one-off release than any kind of ongoing commitment.

Seeing two major titles land back to back this time around says a lot about how seriously the studio is treating Switch 2, and The Duskbloods sitting at the center of that shift is exactly why so many people are watching this space closely right now.