Elden Ring fans need to prepare to bid farewell to the Lands Between when Shadow of the Erdtree is released.
Why? Because according to FromSoftware boss Hidetaka Miyazaki, Shadow of the Erdtree will be the game’s only DLC, marking a departure from the studio’s usual approach, with games like Dark Souls 2 and Dark Souls 3 boasting multiple expansions.
While Elden Ring’s story might reach its endpoint with Shadow of the Erdtree on June 21, Miyazaki has left the door open for future adventures, maybe even more games, as reported by GamesRadar, via Chinese publication Zhihu.
Miyazaki’s comment hads weight to what he told IGN in March when stating the studio doesnt “want to say this is the end of the Elden Ring saga for now.”
“We said a similar thing at the end of Dark Souls 3. We didn’t want to flatten those possibilities or put a pin in them just at that time. And it’s a similar story with Elden Ring. We don’t want to discourage the possibilities for that. There might be more ideas in the future.”
If the game’s publisher Bandai Namco has its way, there will indeed be more Elden Ring in the future, but not just games.
According to the firm’s president and CEO Yasuo Miyakawa, Bandai Namco and FromSoftware have “hopes of expanding beyond the realm of games”.
“Much effort was placed into creating Elden Ring so that we could exceed the expectations of our fans worldwide,” said Miyakawa. “In like manner, we will continue our efforts in expanding the brand beyond the game itself, and into everyone’s daily life.”
Released on February 25, 2022, Elden Ring sold 13.4 million copies worldwide by the end of March 2022, and 23 million by February 2024, and is the fastest-selling Bandai Namco game of all time.