I'm fairly certain that points to retail sales of a game, so something like Minecraft would very much count, and I wouldn't be at all shocked if it's effectively number 1 at that as it's been a constant presence on the charts since MS first put out the retail 360 version.
Their name might be bigger, but their distribution pipeline and marketing department aren't...
It's crazy to think that Armored Core is probably going to outsell the entirety of the franchise up until that point all on its own on the back of the hype from Elden Ring. Miyazaki could not have asked for a better set of circumstances with which to unleash his baby back onto the world.
Probably "full price" AAA, ie. $60-70?
Is that why it's also locked to one platform instead of being on everything that can run it? Or why it isn't open-world? Or why it has no multiplayer?
That decision was taken long before Elden Ring launched. They seemingly aren't going open world anyway, so it's not like they're following its direction.
It's retail and reported digital sales to NPD. Minecraft's digital sales are most likely only reported on consoles so it would miss almost all of its largest market plus its lower price point would require it to move a lot more units than a $60 game.
Premium means that the game is not F2P and that microtransactions/DLC do not count.
First step for FF to be a mega hit IP like Elden Ring is to drop the exclusivity bullshit
Eh, it's been a good, mutually beneficial relationship for over a decade now. They do self-publish in Japan, and Elden Ring broke a million units there very quickly.
