Elden Ring, the upcoming dark fantasy RPG from legendary studio FromSoftware, is responsible for a great deal of anticipation and speculation among eager fans. This is no surprise, considering the massive impact that the likes ofDark Souls,Bloodborne, andSekirohad on their players and gaming as a whole. Among the most interesting leaks and rumors is the evidence thatElden Ringmight release in June 2020. That would make a lot of people very happy, but there is more to the puzzle than just the evidence for that release date.
Elden Ringreleasing in June at first seems plausible, because the leaked launch is on a Tuesday, a common release day for big titles. However, when looking back at the development schedules and release times of previous FromSoftware games, there are some other patterns that quickly cast doubt on the projected release date. To calculate whenElden Ringwill launch, it’s a good idea look back on the development time, announcement schedule, and launch dates of FromSoftwares last three big titles:BloodBorne,Dark Souls 3, andSekiro: Shadows Die Twice.
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Despite working with various publishers and launching on a multitude of platforms, FromSoftware is a remarkably consistent developer.BloodBornein 2015,Dark Souls 3in 2016, and Sekiro in 2019 all had consistent quality, and FromSoftware’s signature feel honed to near perfection. Recent years have seen some ofFromSoftware’s best games, and as time goes on, the developer only seems to get better at dense level design and experiential storytelling. As will be seen, it is extremely consistent in its development time and release schedule as well.
FromSoftware’s Development and Release Schedule
Bloodborne, the oldest of the titles being discussed, began its development in 2012, around the time that development onDark Souls: Prepare to Dieedition with all its included DLC was wrapping up.BloodBorneis especially significant because it was FromSoftware’s first departure in many years from traditional dark fantasy, trading in a lovecraftian horror element and focusing on more aggressive, fast combat than previous titles. WhileBloodbornemay not get a sequel, it had its own iconic charm and certainly paved the way for bothDark Souls 3andSekiro.Bloodbornewas announced in June of 2014, and launched in March of 2015, giving it a development time of about three years and roughly 10 months between its announcement and launch.
Dark Souls 3began development in mid 2013, right afterDark Souls IIconcluded. It was heavily influenced byBloodborne, mixing fast paced combat with classicDark Soulsheft to perfect the formula and finish off the trilogy with the bestDark Soulsout of the three. It had some truly punishing DLCs and some of themost difficult areas inDark Souls, but rewarded players with a perfect conclusion to the series. It was in development for 3 years, launching in March-April of 2016 depending on region, a bit over 10 months after its announcement at E3 2015.
Lastly,Sekirowas FromSoftware’s most recent title. It began its development in 2015 after the last ofBloodBorne’s DLC was launched, and it was the most ambitious title the studio had made up until then. With a totally new artstyle and completely different combat and traversal, it allowed FromSoftware to hone its level design even further and stun players with incredible, unfamiliar artwork. Classic FromSoftware difficulty stayed the same, andSekirowas even more difficultthan previous titles in some ways. It had the longest development time yet, at 4 years. It was teased in 2017, but the title was announced in 2018, 15 months before its launch in March of 2019.
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There is a clear pattern here.FromSoftware games, not including DLCs, take a little over 3 years to develop, and maybe a bit more if they are especially ambitious. They always seem to launch in March, but on one occasion had an extended launch, coming out a bit later in the states than in Japan. Mirroring the development time, 10 months between announcement and launch is the norm, with 15 months given toSekiro.
Predicting Elden Ring’s Launch
So, how doesElden Ringfit into this pattern? The game apparently began development in 2017, was announced at E3 in June of 2019, and its leaked release date is June of 2020. That would mean it’s been in development for over 3 years, and would have about 12 months between its announcement and launch. At first this seems like great news. The game is right on schedule, fitting very neatly in with the pattern discussed above, except for a release date one month after FromSoftware’s traditional timeframe. However,Elden Ringis FromSoftware’s most ambitious title yet, and if it doesn’t release in the next month or two, it will likely be another full year until it releases.
There are a few reasons to expect a longer time until launch. While it might seem like FromSoftware are going back to its roots with this title,Elden Ringwill have new lore sourced from George RR Martin, as well as a slightly different inspiration for its setting. It will have different combat and system, and looks to include aspects of Norse mythology into its worldbuilding. It will have the largest world and a wealth of new lore to craft, making it far more likely to take longer to release.
Even withElden Ring’s lore linked heavily to Norse mythology, combined with more robust RPG mechanics and a bigger world, FromSoftware may yet surprise everyone and launch their game within 2020. The time is fast approaching that such expectations should be laid to rest, though. No matter what,Elden Ringlikely will be an incredible game, but for now it is safer to assume that it will be a long time before anyone will get to see it.
Elden Ringis currently in development for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
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