Team Ninja has revealed that its Nioh franchise has surpassed an impressive sales milestone, just as the sequel is set to be part of November's PlayStation Plus Essential line-up. Team Ninja has plenty on the horizon with the recently announced Rise of the Ronin, as well as Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty receiving a release date for next March, but for the moment it can celebrate Nioh's earned accomplishment.Nioh is an action role-playing series, often dubbed a Soulslike for similarities to FromSoftware's seminal works, and its first entry arrived for PlayStation 4 in 2017. Praised for challenging but satisfying combat, compelling use of Japanese folklore, and graphical options, Nioh faced criticism for a confusing narrative and serviceable but outdated level design, particularly when compared to others in the genre. However, it undoubtedly found a loyal and loving audience. That popularity brought Nioh 2, which was more of the same but with a customizable player character. As part of PlayStation's foray into the PC gaming market, both titles have found their way onto Steam in the years since.Shortly after statistics were shared regarding the upcoming Wo Long: Dynasty, Team Ninja announced on Twitter that the Nioh franchise has surpassed 7 million copies sold. The number is the accumulative total of physical shipments and digital versions for Nioh, Nioh 2, and the remasters of both titles, across all available platforms. Although no details were provided regarding how those sales are distributed between the two entries, it can be assumed from existing data that both performed well, although the sequel was slower to garner as many sales in the opening few months following launch.
For those yet to quell the onslaught of demonic yokai, Nioh 2 is coming to PlayStation Plus Essential in November, with the season pass on sale, and it is the perfect time to experience Team Ninja's incredible combat design. Given that Nioh 2 is a prequel and ostensibly divorced from the narrative of the first, there should be no concerns when jumping into it. However, Nioh 2 is significantly more refined and polished than its predecessor, so those wishing to play both may want to experience the progression of systems and mechanics.
In addition to this news about Nioh, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty had a short-lived demo in September which was recently revealed to have been completed by over 80,000 players. Considered a spiritual successor to Nioh, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty has drawn comparisons to both Nioh and Sekiro, with a fluid, fast-paced, and challenging combat system.
Nioh and Nioh 2 are both currently available on the PS4, PS5, and PC.