An Elden Ring 2 is likely inevitable after the success of the first game. Here is everything we know about a potential Elden Ring sequel.
Since release, Elden Ring has sold a whopping 12 million copies making it the most successful Souls/FromSoftware game launch of all time. The game’s multiplayer tweaks also mean it’s likely to have more longevity than previous titles too, giving Elden Ring an active community who’ll likely to playing for years to come.
Bandai Namco has referred to the Elden Ring as a “franchise” and revealed there are already plans for the series to continue either with a sequel or in other media. At this moment in time, when it comes to Elden Ring 2, we know very little. However, based on what FromSoftware has said, the way Souls sequels have worked in the past, and the various endings of Elden Ring, we can see the foundation of Elden Ring 2 begin to form.
We’ll also be delving into a little speculation, so be warned, Elden Ring ending (and some other Souls games) spoilers will follow.
Contents
- Will there be an Elden Ring 2?
- Does Elden Ring 2 have a release date?
- Brian Sanderson collaboration
- What will Elden Ring 2 look like?
Taking the crown doesn’t solve all the problems in the Lands Between.
Will there be an Elden Ring 2?
Almost certainly. In a joint press release with Bandai Namco, FromSoftware described Elden Ring’s success as “a fantastic start for the new franchise”. They went on to say:
“Much effort was placed into creating Elden Ring so that we could exceed the expectations of our fans worldwide. We will continue our efforts in expanding the brand beyond the game itself, and into everyone’s daily life.”
Thank you, dear consorts. #ELDENRING pic.twitter.com/IC9sgUTUud
— ELDEN RING (@ELDENRING) March 16, 2022
Based on this, we’d say an Elden Ring 2 is almost guaranteed. However, don’t expect it anytime soon.
Does Elden Ring 2 have a release date?
There’s no Elden Ring release date yet, besides Bandai Namco referring to the game as a franchise, there’s been no formal announcement.
Elden Ring was by far the biggest and most ambitious project FromSoft have tackled to date, and Souls sequels usually take a couple of years to arrive. Therefore, we’d expect Elden Ring 2 to be at least 3 years away.
In any case, it appears FromSoftware is hiring for “several new projects”, as per this tweet.
FROM Software is hiring devs for “several new projects” https://t.co/1nRLEk8zRn
— Nibel (@Nibellion) June 24, 2022
Could this be for Elden Ring 2, Armored Core, or something else? Time will tell.
Brandon Sanderson collaboration
Author Brandon Sanderson of The Mistborn series of books has expressed interest in working with Bandai Namco/From Software on a “Souls-like game”. There were even rumblings that Sanderson would have been working on Elden Ring, if it wasn’t for George R.R. Martin being approached instead, however Sanderson was joking when he said this.
Since then though, the author has pitched an idea to the publishers, who then responded. In a recent stream, Sanderson opened a gift box sent to him by Bandai Namco and said:
“They are interested in perhaps doing something together, is what that says. I am as well, actually. This is how I roll. I actually have a pitch for them in the back of my head… so I may have to send them my pitch and see what they think.”
- Read More: Best weapons in Elden Ring
While a Bandai Namco / FromSoftware / Sanderson collaboration seems possible, we doubt it will be on Elden Ring 2. That’s because the creative groundwork for the Elden Ring IP was created by George R.R. Martin and Hideki Miyazaki.
Therefore, having another author come in and add their ideas to an existing universe is highly unlikely. Instead, we imagine Sanderson will want his ideas to translate into a new IP, developed by FromSoftware and published by Bandai Namco. Although we’ll need to wait and see if this ever becomes a reality.
Elden Rings became the fastest-selling Souls game after launch, beating Dark Souls 3.
What would Elden Ring 2 look like?
We suspect Elden Ring 2 will follow a similar formula to previous Souls sequels. In the past, these have been set many centuries after the original and have shied away from declaring any one ending as canon. In fact, Dark Souls 2 and 3 managed to incorporate every ending from their predecessors by revealing that the world was stuck in an endless cycle of ‘linking the fire’ and ‘letting the fire fade’.
If a player decided to let the fire fade and become the Dark Lord, their world would eventually succumb to the Undead Curse, therefore someone would always come along and rekindle the flame, prolonging the Age of Fire. In time though, the fire would fade again meaning another person/player would need to either link it or embrace the dark. This essentially meant that no matter what decision each player made, the world was still stuck in a loop.
Dark Souls 2 and 3 showed us a world becoming increasingly wary of the cycle and characters looked for a loophole to escape it. Each game showed us the ramifications of letting the fire fade and rekindling it. Each kingdom was always built on the ashes of the last one that fell to ruin – regardless of the choice they made.
Elden Ring 2 could do something similar.
We hope Torrent returns in Elden Ring 2.
Fractured sequel
By the time we return to the Lands Between, there could have been countless Elden Lords. The Elden Ring itself could now be housed in a new living vessel instead of Marika. Each of Elden Ring’s endings have fatal flaws, and none of them offer a complete solution to the Land’s problems.
- Read More: Best Spirit Summon Ashes in Elden Ring
Elden Ring 2 could begin during the Age of Fracture, or during the Age of the Stars, or countless ages later. However, we expect that many of the problems that plagued the land in Elden Ring will still be causing issues in Elden Ring 2. Like the First Flame before it, simply reactivating the Elden Ring may be just the start of the story.
So that’s everything we know so far about Elden Ring 2. For more on the biggest upcoming releases, check out our pages on some of the most-anticipated games that have been announced:
The Elder Scrolls 6 | GTA 6 | Overwatch 2 | Assassin’s Creed Infinity | God of War: Ragnarok | Wolverine | Spider-Man 2 | Forspoken | KOTR Remake | Wonder Woman
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