One of the most highly anticipated games to be shown at E3 2019 was Hidetaka Miyazaki’s next project afterDark Souls 3, calledElden Ring. Part of a surprising collaboration withA Song of Ice and Firewriter George R. R. Martin, this mysterious medieval epic by From Software has been shrouded in mystery ever since its initial reveal trailer.
While fans have been able to learn bits and pieces about what to expect from the game, there’s still so much left unknown. Many thought it would have been among the third party titles at Xbox’s May presentation, but the game was not shown. At this point,Elden Ringhas been in development for a few years, but it’s hard to tell when fans may get to see more of it.
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Everything Known About Elden Ring
Forall that’s known so far aboutElden Ring, it’s going to be billed as a “more natural evolution” of From Software’s renownedDark Soulsfranchise. Supposedly,Elden Ringhas shaped up to be the developer’s biggest project yet. Gameplay will emulate typicalDark Soulsaction-RPG gameplay whilst relying more heavily on RPG elements to add more strategic aspects to battle. Miyazaki has also confirmed that the game will feature an open-world or “open-field” environmental design, which is perhaps the biggest departure fromDark Souls' innovative level design. However, Miyazaki clarified that the open world will incorporate more “dark, dungeon-like ruins” instead of an abundance of NPCs and towns.
Most of this information came from E3 last year, so since then any information related toElden Ringhas come from purported rumors and leaks. One of the biggestleaks detailed eight unique “kingdoms"that will serve as regions in the open world. Players will supposedly explore each kingdom to take on several mini-bosses and one final, multi-phased final boss that are supposedly some of the most difficult fights in a Soulsborne game. Character creation is also rumored to be returning to the game, to which players select a class that determines their starting kingdom in the game.
Many rumors pointed toElden Ringbeing showed at an Xbox presentation at some point during summer 2020. Unfortunately,Elden Ringwas not shown in the Inside Xbox May presentationfor third-party partners, dashing the only confirmed hope for anElden Ringtrailer or info drop. Head of Xbox Game Studios Matt Booty did confirm that Xbox has another presentation planned for July, but it will only involve first-party games from Xbox Games Studios.
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When Elden Ring Will Return
At this point it’s unclear when fans may hear fromElden Ringagain. There are no updated rumors with any form of credibility stating when the game will make another appearance. Although the game was initially revealed for Xbox One and PS4, it’s very possible thatthe game’s release may be shifted to next-generation consoles, considering there’s only around four-to-six months until the PS5 and Xbox Series X are set to release. That’s not even considering any unforeseen factors possibly delaying the game, which has become a common occurrence in 2020.
Previous From Software titles have often come out in March, and considering it’s already May, it’s very possibleElden Ringcould be shifting entirely to next-generation. Covid-19/pandemic concerns may have slowed down development in some fashion, but that hasn’t been corroborated by anyone familiar with the game’s development. Allegedly the game has been in development for about two years, as development on the game started shortly after the last DLC forDark Souls 3. Simply put, the game just may need more development time before its shown off again.
At this point, unless the game gets a surprise release in between all the other confirmed titles coming this year,Elden Ringprobably won’t show up again for a little while. The best hope is a Summer Game Fest showcase, replacing what would’ve hopefully been an E3 2020 appearance, but even then, we wouldn’t hold our breath.
Elden Ringis currently in development for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
