It’s safe to assume that nearly every fan of FromSoftware’sSoulsfranchise is wondering whereElden Ringis. Announced during the Xbox conference at E3 2019, only 3 months after the release ofSekiro: Shadows Die Twice,Elden Ringis FromSoftware’s first foray into a pseudo-open world game design. Despite the anticipation fromSoulsfans since its announcement, FromSoftware has not said a word on the project’s status since June 2019. This has lead some to speculate thatElden Ringmight be facing cancelation.
While this might sound drastic to some, the lack of updates for over an entire year, outside of the confirmation thatSekiroandDark Souls 3composer Yuka Kitamura will compose the game’s soundtrack, bears resemblance to past canceled titles such asPlatinumGames’Scaleboundand Konami’sSilent Hills. Both titles went through large periods lacking new information until they were inevitably canceled. That could be the worst case scenario, however, as it is also possible that Elden Ring could be facing development hell, hold-ups due to COVID-19, or any other number of things.
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Elden Ring: Development Hell?
“Development Hell” is a period in which a piece of media is stuck in development for an especially prolonged period of time, with development stagnating to a point that even the general public acknowledges the state of limbo the project is currently existing in.Noteworthy titles to have suffered development hell includeDuke Nukem: Forever, which took 14 years to release;Aliens: Colonial Marines, which took 12 years to release;Final Fantasy 15, which took 10 years from its announcement asFinal Fantasy Versus 13to release; andThe Last Guardian, which took 9 years to release.
Titles currently believed to be in development hell includeBeyond Good and Evil 2,Dead Island 2, and Capcom’sDeep Down, none of which have been officially canceled.
Where is Elden Ring?
Development ofElden Ringbegan in early 2017 following the release ofDark Souls 3’sThe Ringed CityDLC, with Hidetaka Miyazaki’s intention during the conceptual stages being to evolve theDark Soulsformula, as the studio claimed it had concluded theDark Soulsseries withDark Souls 3.Elden Ringwill feature an open fielddesign that the player can traverse on horseback, a first for FromSoftware’sSoulsgames and a potentially major step towards fundamentally changing the structure of the series forever. Th
Furthermore, Miyazaki also revealed that the game will not feature NPC populated town areas, the world will instead feature dungeons scattered around the map. This open-world structurebrings to mind the likes ofThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, with its shrines possibly bearing similarities to the game’s dungeons.
Up until now, theSoulsgames have never featured what one could describe as “linear” game design, with most of the games level designs bearing structural similarities to Metroidvania titles. This enables the player to progress through an area they once visited once they have acquired a new ability or defeated a certain enemy, but this change in game design could, likeBreath of the Wildbefore it, change how many developers view the genre.
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The George R.R. Martin Effect
Of course, it’s hard to discussElden Ringwithout bringing upGeorge R.R. Martin, the author of the best-selling fantasy novel seriesA Song of Ice and Fire, famously adapted into the HBO drama seriesGame of Thrones. With Martin, the writer has become infamous for his procrastination and long delays in-between novels, with the currentA Song of Ice and FirenovelThe Winds of Wintercurrently in the midst of its own development hell. Martin began writing the novel in 2011 and is still unsure of when the project will be finished.
How is this relevant toElden Ring? One most surprising aspects of the project upon its announcement was that FromSoftware was joining forces with this legendary fantasy author to bring the world ofElden Ringto life. While Souls fans are surely ecstatic to seeElden Ring’s world brimming with lore and historypenned by such a renowned author, the history ofThe Winds of Winteronly goes to show how busy of a man George R.R. Martin is.
While Hidetaka Miyazaki has implied that Martin finished his contributions toElden Ringshortly before its announcement, given the scope of the project, it may be hard for FromSoftware and Martin to a periodin which to collaborate onElden Ringagainif FromSoftware seeks to expand its vision further. This would be especially difficult during the midst of the on-going COVID-19 pandemic, which would stop the creators from being able to meet up in the studio itself and bounce ideas off each other.
To bring this all back to the initial question, isElden Ringcanceled? Most likely, no. While FromSoftware’s silence has been deafening, the most likely scenario is that the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has hit the studio’s workload hard and stagnated the creative processes of Hidetaka Miyazaki and his team.Elden Ringis poised to be FromSoftware’s most ambitious title yet, and while a position like this could set the game up for something dramatic such as a development hell period or worse, FromSoftware has likely taken a route similar toother major studios such as Bethesda withStarfieldandThe Elder Scrolls 6, and CD Projekt Red withCyberpunk 2077.
Elden Ringis currently in development for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
