When Dark Souls first came out in 2011, it was seen as a niche game. Since that time, the Souls series has blossomed into an instantly recognizable name in the RPG world, and the sales numbers prove it.
According to Famitsu (via NeoGAF), developer From Software revealed sales figures for the Dark Souls series following its E3 demonstration of Dark Souls III to the Japanese press. Overall, the series has sold over 8.5 million copies worldwide.
The image above breaks down the specific games and regions. The left column represents Japan, which means the series has sold under a million copies in its native country. As for overseas sales, those have surpassed seven million.
The lower numbers in Japan are unfortunate but not surprising considering the market's continued focus on mobile titles. Nevertheless, it's great to see the Dark Souls series sell so many copies worldwide. I'm sure the upcoming Dark Souls III will prove to be another success when it comes out early next year.