Ever since its reveal in 2019 fans have been clamoring for the release of Elden Ring. It’s set to be the latest offering from the developers of Bloodborne and the Dark Souls trilogy, FromSoftware. The studio has cultivated quite a following of loyal gamers who wait in anticipation for every one of the studio’s releases.
Is Elden Ring canceled, or has it simply hit some development roadblocks? Let’s look at 5 reasons why fans should still be excited for Elden Ring, and 5 reasons they should maybe worry about it.
10 Worry: Numerous Projects
Unlike many other well-accomplished developers that release titles every 3-5 years, FromSoftware manages to hit a pretty regular cadence with the games they put out. This is due to the way development is set up at the studio as it often has one project coming to a close as another begins. It’s unclear if Activision is publishing a sequel to Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, but it’s a safe bet to assume that Elden Ring isn’t the only game in development at the studio and it’s unclear how Elden Ring is being affected by this.
9 Excited: Not Cancelled
Yasuhiro Kitao, Marketing and Communications Lead for FromSoftware, recently confirmed that Elden Ring is still in development. In a tweet that thanked fans for voting the project the most anticipated game at the 2020 Game Awards, Kitao stated “we can forge ahead with development undaunted and highly motivated. Thank you.” It’s clear the studio knows just how thirsty gamers are for any new information regarding Elden Ring, and it’s good to get confirmation that the game isn’t canceled as many believed it was.
8 Worry: Pandemic Issues
The world has been affected greatly by the pandemic it has had to endure for the last 10 months or so. Almost every facet of life has been affected and the entertainment industries are no different.
Game delays are common but they’ll be more apparent in the coming months and year as studios continue to acclimate to a work from home setup. This change in how developers work on Elden Ring likely altered the project timeline and in turn, made it so the game will release later than initially anticipated.
7 Excited: Quiet For Awhile
When studios become silent, it can be for one of two polar opposite reasons. The more pessimistic view on the matter is that the project is in a development pickle and dealing with overcoming issues. If someone wanted to take a more positive approach to the silence, one could believe that in a time of uncertainty the developers went silent until they were certain the game was ready. This means that the next time Elden Ring is shown, its release will happen in the short few months that follow said re-reveal.
6 Worry: Other Projects
Now, earlier the idea of having numerous projects in development at the same time was mentioned. This entry is more about the possibility that resources were shifted off of Elden Ring to possibly see a Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice sequel to conclusion. Elden Ring is set to be an open-world game and that scope can be daunting. The idea of FromSoftware working with Activision to deliver a follow-up to their successful collaboration to buy them time for their ambitious project doesn’t seem too far-fetched to believe.
5 Excited: Polish, Polish, Polish
A recent rumor floating around message boards and social media is that Elden Ring is already complete. It suggests that the studio is focused on polishing the game to make it the best it can be, but that Elden Ring is complete and can be played from start to finish. FromSoftware prefers short windows between trailers and release, so maybe this rumor is true and they’re holding their cards until they know they can reveal a new trailer and have it end with a release date that happens within 2-3 months of the trailer dropping.
4 Worry: George R.R. Martin
Despite Game of Thrones as a show ending on a sour note and disappearing from pop culture overnight, book readers are still waiting on George R.R. Martin to deliver the ending of the books. He’s a slow and methodical writer who works at his own pace and will finish things when he gets there.
This has fans worried that his involvement in Elden Ring is why the game is taking so long, despite reports claiming that his involvement started and stopped at world and lore-building and his time collaborating with the studio has been done for quite a while.
3 Excited: Open-World
FromSoftware has a knack for making and designing their worlds in a way that feels open and rewards exploration. At the same time they’ve never made a true open-world game, and with Elden Ring proposed to be exactly that, it has fans and critics alike wondering how it will turn out. How do shortcuts and wrap-around pathing work when the world is open to explore and it’s not as open-linear as most FromSoftware titles? Fans are excited at the prospect of the studio challenging itself to do something dynamically different.
2 Worry: Silence
The way things work with FromSoftware is that they typically reveal their next game cryptically and then it releases no longer than 12-18 months after that initial reveal. With Elden Ring, it’s concerning because the developer hasn’t revealed anything about the game since its initial reveal on Xbox’s E3 stage in 2019. Fans were hoping to catch a glimpse at the 2020 Game Awards, but that show came and went without a whisper. Silence can become deafening and is the major reason fans are worried about Elden Ring’s development.
1 Excited: It’s FromSoftware
It’s hard to find a video game developer on a better streak of excellent games than FromSoftware. In terms of their third-person action-adventure titles, they’ve been batted 100% since the release of Demon’s Souls back in the day. Every few years these days they’re releasing a new game that becomes a section of the fan base’s favorite title. Fans are more than welcome to worry about when it is releasing, but at this point, there’s no reason to think that Elden Ring will be anything short of astounding when it finally releases.
