At Microsoft's E3 conference this weekend, the existence of
Elden Ring was confirmed. Hinted at by George R.R. Martin himself last month and
then leaked prior to the show,
Elden Ring is the collaborative work of the
Game of Thrones author along with famed game director Hidetaka Miyazaki of FromSoftware (devleopers of
Bloodborne and
Dark Souls).
The game was revealed with a very mysterious, but intriguing teaser trailer. Miyazaki later confirmed in an interview Bandai Namco community specialist Sam Wilkinson (
via Xbox) that
Elden Ring is a dark fantasy, open-world, third-person action RPG.
Elden Ring will put a focus on RPG elements, but will still maintain FromSoftware's signature responsive melee-based combat and intense boss fights.
Compared to
Dark Souls, however,
Elden Ring will offer more variety in how you can approach these challenges. Between the variety of weapons and magic and the various ways you can engage an enemy,
Elden Ring "will make it possible to provide useres with a style of gameplay and strategy that suits them," the game director promised.
Martin's role in the project was a little unclear prior to its unveiling, but now it appears he played a very significant part in helping create this fantasy world. As for how the collaboration came about, Miyazki explained he is a huge fan of Martin's work, which sparked the decision to reach out to the acclaimed author. He explained:
We were then given the rare opportunity to talk one-on-one with Mr. Martin which was an incredibly fun and stimulating experience. It was then that I strongly felt that I wanted to work with Mr. Martin. I am still unable to put into words how grateful I am to Mr. Martin for agreeing to our offer
The actual collaboration itself begun with Mr. Martin ever so politely confirming what sorts of themes, ideas as well as many game-related aspects I had envisioned for the game. This allowed us to have many free and creative conversations regarding the game, in which Mr. Martin later used as a base to write the overarching mythos for the game world itself. This mythos proved to be full of interesting characters and drama along with a plethora of mystical and mysterious elements as well. It was a wonderful source of stimulus for me and the development staff
Elden Ring’s world was constructed using this mythos and stimulus as a base. Even I myself find it hard to contain my excitement from time to time. We hope that everyone else is looking forward to the world we have created.
While the teaser briefly touches on the Elden Ring's ability to command the skies and give life its fullest brilliance, along with its shattering, it's still unclear exactly what the meaning behind the title is. Miyazki hinted that it's a name given
"to a mysterious concept that defines the world itself," while adding that the
"significance of this will be one of the important themes of the game."
Elden Ring will be available for Xbox One, PS4, and PC. A release date was not announced.