Don’t Get Your Hopes Up For Elden Ring 2, Despite Miyazaki Saying It’s Possible

Summary Elden Ring 2 development is not confirmed, but the possibility was acknowledged by Miyazaki.

Elden Ring's complex world took 5 years to develop, signaling a potential lengthy timeline for a sequel.

FromSoftware keeps a sequel in mind as a future project due to Elden Ring's success.

Although there is a possibility that Elden Ring may receive a sequel one day, it is perhaps best not to be too optimistic about the prospect. Of course, it would be very intriguing to see how the lore of the game may evolve to suit a second title, particularly given Elden Ring’s multiple endings and their wildly different implications for the Lands Between. However, despite how popular an Elden Ring 2 could be, the constraints surrounding such an eventuality do need to be taken into account as well.

Following in the footsteps of the infamously difficult Dark Souls games, Elden Ring is itself a long and punishing Soulsborne game by development company FromSoftware. Although many developers have created their own takes on Dark Souls’ formula, the skill of its creator, Hidetaka Miyazaki, is not to be underestimated. His involvement as Elden Ring’s own director serves as perfect proof of this, and despite the game now being two-years-old, interest in the title has far from diminished, especially when considering the fact that the new Shadow of the Erdtree DLC is now on the horizon.

Related Elden Ring Review: Hands Across America Elden Ring is a staggeringly large, nearly perfect culmination of everything FromSoftware has developed since the release of Demon's Souls.

Elden Ring 2 Is Not Confirmed To Be In Development

A Sequel Has Not Been Ruled Out

Close

As reported by GamesRadar, although there has recently been a more disappointing update regarding Shadow of the Erdtree, namely that it will be the only piece of DLC for Elden Ring, Miyazaki has also noted that a sequel to Elden Ring is far from impossible. However, just because a sequel to the game is possible, does not mean that it is likely to arrive soon. There has been no official confirmation of its development, and even if FromSoftware does aim to eventually create Elden Ring 2, the hypothetical game would still take years to create.

Game development takes time, and enormous, sprawling worlds like that of Elden Ring are particularly notable examples of this. Elden Ring originally began development in 2017, with its 2022 release date meaning that it took around five years for the project to come to fruition. Even then, the game has continued to be refined through several patches and updates. Similarly, Shadow of the Erdtree is arriving just over two years after the initial release, further emphasizing just how long it takes to create these incredible experiences.

The basic reason for this is that development is a complex process. Elden Ring itself notably incorporates material created by fantasy author George R. R. Martin into its lore, but at the same time, Martin’s Elden Ring lore predates the Erdtree. Given how central the Erdtree is to Elden Ring, this shows how even Martin’s contributions were only one small piece of a greater whole compounded over time. Likewise, while Elden Ring has arguably laid plenty of groundwork, this does not mean that Elden Ring 2 would not still require a similar level of new detail to support its narrative.

It seems unlikely that a full sequel to Elden Ring will be developed alongside DLC for the original, so any new title would presumably only be in its beginning stages.

Acknowledging The Possibility Of Elden Ring 2 Is Simply Pragmatic For FromSoftware

Elden Ring Has Sold Over 23 Million Copies

Of course, Miyazaki has also noted that FromSoftware’s typical development process lends itself well to sequels, as, in general, the company never puts a definitive end to a popular franchise. For example, although the director has said he does not wish to produce a Dark Souls 4, he is open to the idea of others at FromSoftware continuing the franchise without him. Similarly, given the incredible success of Elden Ring, a sequel is essentially guaranteed to generate immense interest. As such, FromSoftware is likely keeping a sequel in mind as a possible future project.

2:16 Related You're Going To Regret Counting Down The Days Until Elden Ring's DLC Release Although many players can't wait to get their hands on the upcoming Elden Ring DLC, the wait maybe even longer for FromSoftware's next title.

Nevertheless, even if it will one day be a reality, Elden Ring 2 is undoubtedly many years away. Realistically, even news of such a game being developed may only surface in the distant future. Instead, a completely unrelated title could easily become FromSoftware’s next Soulsborne game; the company has expanded in recent years to accommodate several new projects, and it would be far from impossible for another large-scale title unrelated to Elden Ring to already be on the long road to publication.

A follow-up to Elden Ring could easily be just as successful as the original, but without any evidence of an Elden Ring 2 in development, it is best to remain cautious of any hope for its existence. Despite Miyazaki noting that a sequel is possible, this is far from confirmation that one is planned; it is simply an acknowledgment of its potential at this point and a continuation of FromSoftware’s standard attitude towards follow-ups. Furthermore, even in the best-case scenario, the inevitable scale of a sequel to Elden Ring would still necessitate several years of waiting as it is developed.

Source: GamesRadar