Elden Ringis dominating the month of June with the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion release. An undiscovered expanse to explore in the Land of Shadow and a comprehensive lore dump are in store forSoulslikefans, alongside an excitingnew blessing systemto make combat a little less grueling.
FromSoftwarepresident and Elden Ring director, Hidetaka Miyazaki, has been busy promoting the dark fantasy’s DLC content while relinquishing a few tidbits regarding future games. In addition to discussingco-op modesin distant FromSoft titles, Miyazaki has been pondering his ideal fantasy game - and it’s not Elden Ring.
Elden Ring Devs “Have Faith” Novices Can Overcome DLC’s Challenges Without Completing Base Game
Elden Ring devs also want to “embrace” players who prefer to use guides in the future.
In aninterviewwith PC Gamer, Miyazaki revealed his love for tabletop RPGs, and those exciting campaigns seriously influenced Elden Ring. The director pinpointed one facet in developing the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC was “trying to capture the excitement of those old tabletop games and game books”.
The unguided nature of Elden Ring’s map is similar to dungeon crawlers from tabletop adventures, where you’d have to navigate your own way through the stretch. Admitting Elden Ring housed some of Miyazaki’s “personal preference [and] idiosyncrasies” regarding map navigation, the director reflected “I think that excitement, for me at least, comes from seeing that world map and piecing together that world map. So when we finally got to do that and start piecing that together when making Elden Ring, that was a really nice moment for me personally.”
Miyazaki then dropped a golden nugget, stating he was “still in the process of making my ideal fantasy RPG”, and even though Elden Ring didn’t quite bring his vision to fruition, he thought it was “pretty close”. The director couldn’t discuss specific details relating to his “next idea” or FromSoft’s “next games” but Miyazaki did have one request to make his experience of the ultimate fantasy game one to remember.
“One thing that’s not necessarily missing, but makes it difficult to achieve my ideal, is that when I play it, I know everything’s going to happen. I already know everything that’s going on,” Miyazaki explained. Therefore, the director believed handing the reigns over to someone else to helm his dream game may be the answer, saying “So in terms of enjoying the game from a player’s perspective, I’d love to not know that, and for somebody else to make my ideal fantasy game, please, if possible. Then I can enjoy it just as a player.”
Joking with the interviewer, Miyazaki teased that the “dream” outcome would be to “self-induce amnesia and enjoy the game I created myself. But I might get really angry and break the controller, or something. Maybe it’s not a good idea.”
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree will be released on August 20, 2025.
Elden Ring
Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree Detail Suggests The Land Of Shadow Was Right Under Our Noses
Shadow of the Erdtree’s setting was nestled in Elden Ring’s Lands Between all along.
