From Software is the well-known developer behind the Dark Souls games, and while that series is in the past, they have been making other titles in the same realm of gameplay. Most anticipated this year is Elden Ring, though admittedly, there’s not a whole lot of info on it right now. That said, excited gamers did still learn a few things about the hotly anticipated title during E3.
Most notably was the mention of online multiplayer for Elden Ring, though perhaps that shouldn’t be a surprise: Bloodborne and the Souls games all had online multiplayer as well, so that’s a pretty normal thing for From Software games. Though admittedly, this is something we have evidence for based only on a single sentence from the release, that being “Traverse the breathtaking world on foot or on horseback, alone or online with other players.”
It’s not a lot to go on, other than letting players know there will be multiplayer of some sort. The best that can be inferred from the sentence is that the multiplayer will be co-op in nature, though that doesn’t bar the possibility of competitive multiplayer either.
We did get a few more concrete details about the game as well, such as “shadowy, complex dungeons that are connected seamlessly.” We also know that there will be a day and night cycle with dynamic weather, as well as NPCs with deep and storied backgrounds that could become either allies or adversaries based on your own actions.
Like many From Software games, you will also be able to create your own character that is tailored to your personal playstyle, with many weapons, magical abilities, and traits to mix and match.
Also of particularly interesting note is the fact that Bandai Namco plans to expand the property beyond the scope of gaming. “We will continue to develop Elden Ring not only as a game but also in a variety of other areas in order to deliver the worldview and charm of this title to our fans around the world,” CEO Yasuo Miyakawa said.
What that means, we’re not exactly sure. It’s too vague to make any assumptions. It could be TV shows, a movie, books, comics, or anything in-between. We’re excited to learn what exactly is included in ‘a variety of other areas.’
Other than this information, we do have a soft release date for Elden Ring, that being January 2022. It will be released for all platforms save the Switch: which includes PC, as well both the previous and current generation of both Xbox and PlayStation. If you buy the game for the Xbox One or PlayStation 4 and eventually move to the new generation, a free upgrade to that version of the title will be available.
There’s a lot we still don’t know about Elden Ring, but it’s good to get some details at least. Considering that it’s still more than half a year away, it’s safe to assume we will get more information about the game at later dates.
