FromSoft roadmap could mean more Elden Ring games soon
Hacking and slashing your way across the Lands Between feels like a fever dream, but as we gear up for the massive Elden Ring DLC, FromSoftware could be readying a full-blown Elden Ring 2 to keep the Souls-like series alive.
With FromSoftware's work on the Dark and Demon's Souls franchise, as well as the lauded Bloodborne, the developer is one of the most popular in the industry - even having a whole genre of gaming named after its works. As the team ramps up production, it sounds like more games are on the horizon.
Has FromSoftware teased Elden Ring 2?
Click to enlargeFromSoftware has its plate full right now, with things gearing up for Armored Core VI and the upcoming Elden Ring: Shadows of the Erdtree DLC. With all this going on, you might not think there's time to breathe, let alone think of Elden Ring 2, but that might not be the case.
Speaking to Eurogamer, Amored Core VI Producer Yasuhiro Kitao was asked whether work on both Armored Core and Elden Ring could be a sign of things to come. The developer doesn't have the best track record for regular releases, with Elden Ring starting production in 2017.
"We do develop multiple titles simultaneously, we do have several teams working on different projects," said Kitao. "We hope to stagger our releases and bring something new and exciting at hopefully not so long intervals going forward."
Kitao reiterates that multiple games being in development has been standard practice for the past decade since Hidetaka Miyazaki has been President, however, there's a renewed push toward reducing the gaps between releases. It's not quite confirmation of Elden Ring 2, but it's a start.
What's been said about Elden Ring 2?
As Dark Souls 3 released just a year after Bloodborne, we know FromSoftware is capable of handling major releases at the same time. Even though there's been no official word on Elden Ring 2, Bandai Namco President and CEO Yasuo Miyakawa has spoken about "expanding" the franchise.
In a 2022 interview with 4Gamer.net, Miyazaki was asked about Elden Ring 2 and explained, "It's a case-by-case basis. There are merits to both taking over the numbering and creating a new work with a new title, so I would like to select as appropriate." The original's runaway success has sparked hopes of a sequel.
More recently, Twitter user @Timur222 spotted that FromSoftware Producer and Director Kenneth Chan is working on an unannounced project. It's not confirmed to be Elden Ring 2, but as we've pretty much given up on a Bloodborne sequel, it's a likely candidate.
For now, we're left dreaming up our own concepts for Elden Ring 2 amidst hopes FromSoftware will make it official. With a sprawling lore covering thousands of years, there's more than enough room for a franchise of Elden Ring games, but we'll have to wait and see.