Nioh 2 may now be the talk of the town, but the franchise’s original entry is still receiving a lot of love. That love is especially being felt on the market. According to Niko Partners analyst Daniel Ahmad, the first Nioh title’s shipments have passed a total 2.75 million.

This counts as an especially impressive feat, considering the game’s sales numbers as of February 2019 had just exceeded 2.5 million. No doubt Nioh’s success will continue to climb with the sequel bringing in more buzz.

Nioh has now shipped 2.75 million units, up from 2.5 million units in February 2019. Nioh 2 is set to release in Early 2020. pic.twitter.com/6bjv6TJwC5 — Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) September 15, 2019

Nioh hit store shelves for the PlayStation 4 back in February 2019 and received reasonable praise from critics and audiences. Our review, which awarded the title a 7.5 out of 10, particularly lauded its gameplay. Balancing issues and trouble with the graphical fidelity kept it from reaching greater heights. Hopefully, the sequel marks a notable improvement in these respects and other.

Most recently, Nioh 2 had everyone’s attention during Tokyo Game Show 2019. Team Ninja showed off a new trailer, complete with a release window, as well as gameplay. During TGS, the sequel’s producer Fumihiko Yasuda also made clear the studio’s intentions with difficulty modes. Everyone who plays Nioh 2 will experience the same level of challenge; thus, no easy mode will debut. However, players in need of help will have a few options at their disposal. For one, Benevolent Graves may offer assistance in the form of helpful ghost characters. Additionally, players will get to summon other players online for boss encounters.

One of the primary differences between the sequel and original is the introduction of character creation. Instead of a preset protagonist, fans will be able to create their own hero for Nioh 2. The main character’s ability to transform into the Yokai (demons) serves as another new part of the Nioh experience. In Nioh 2, this shift allows players to adopt and use unique powers that were not available in the first entry.

Within the next couple of months, fans will have the option of trying out the sequel for themselves. An open beta is scheduled to go live on the PlayStation 4 on November 1st.

Nioh 2 will hit store shelves for the PlayStation 4 on an unspecified date in early 2020.

[Source: Daniel Ahmad on Twitter]