Onimusha: Way of the Sword sells one million copies on its first day

Capcom’s revival of Onimusha has got off to an absolute stonker, with Onimusha: Way of the Sword selling more than one million copies worldwide on its first day.

Released on September 4, 2026, Way of the Sword is the first entirely new entry in the series for more than 20 years. Its early success has also pushed lifetime sales of the Onimusha franchise beyond 10 million units.

Considering how long the series has been away, shifting a million copies in 24 hours is big business. It’s like an industrialised retro revival

Onimusha: Way of the Sword takes the series to Edo-era Kyoto, with legendary swordsman Miyamoto Musashi serving as its protagonist. While it retains the sword-focused combat and supernatural Oni powers of the older games, Capcom has used modern hardware to significantly expand the scale and spectacle of its battles.

The publisher believes its pre-release campaign also played a major part in getting the game in front of players. Multiple demos and hands-on appearances gave people plenty of opportunities to try Way of the Sword ahead of release, something Capcom says helped it reach a broader audience.

The milestone is particularly interesting given Capcom’s increasing willingness to dig into its substantial back catalogue rather than relying exclusively on Resident Evil, Monster Hunter, and Street Fighter.

The company specifically highlighted its strategy of “re-activating IPs that haven’t had a new title launch recently” when announcing the sales figures.

There are certainly worse vaults to start rummaging around in. Onimusha had largely disappeared despite being a major name during the PlayStation 2 era, and Way of the Sword is a good example of how an older franchise can be brought back without simply remaking what came before.

The original Onimusha: Warlords launched in 2001, combining survival horror influences with samurai combat and supernatural enemies. The series subsequently produced several sequels and spin-offs before effectively going dormant following Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams in 2006.

Capcom began testing the waters again with a remaster of Onimusha: Warlords in 2019, but Way of the Sword represents the first proper attempt to push the series forward in two decades.

With one million sales already recorded after just a single day, the chances of Onimusha disappearing for another 20 years suddenly seem considerably smaller. Follow the money boys, follow the money.

Onimusha: Way of the Sword is available now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC.

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