A lot of unusual things go on here at ATLUS, and as a publisher known for delivering great JRPG content, Demon’s Souls represented something unique even for us: runaway mainstream success. In the years since its release, Demon’s Souls went far above and beyond our usual humble offerings, partly because it’s such a special game. It’s a Japanese-developed RPG, made by From Software, but it has a distinctly Western look and feel in the weight of its movements and the ruthlessness of its enemies and environments. It’s a single-player title, but it has a strong online component unlike anything that came before it, where you can summon other players as friendly ghosts to give you a hand, or be invaded by hostile marauders without warning. Its unsparing difficulty seemed to mark it as destined to be appreciated only by a select few, yet it’s been universally lauded (and awarded Game of the Year by a few, including GameSpot) and remains our highest-selling title ever.

As a thank you to the fans who have supported it this far and kept the servers burning, we’re excited to announce that Demon’s Souls will be available on Tuesday, January 8th, as a digital download on PSN. Now you can buy it from the comfort of your own home; if you haven’t yet tried it for yourself, its price of $19.99 should be a warmer welcome than any bonfire. What’s more, to celebrate the digital launch of Demon’s Souls, we’re holding a Pure White World Tendency event from January 8th to 14th, which slightly reduces the difficulty of the game and opens up a few things that can only be accessed in the Pure White state.

So come on and find out what everyone else who’s played and loved Demon’s Souls already knows: the joys of dying over and over again. And when you do, don’t forget to leave a message for the next unfortunate wretch who’ll come after you. Our favorite? The real Demon’s Souls starts here…