FromSoftware has confirmed that it has multiple projects in development right now, but none of them are Elden Ring 2. After the unparalleled success of its open-world adventure, fans all around the world believed the studio would head straight into a sequel. That is what most developers would do, but FromSoftware isn’t like most other developers.
Ever since its inception, the studio has built a reputation for always creating something new. There are clear links when it comes to titles like King’s Field and Eternal Ring, or the formula it would establish and then follow after the success of Demon’s Souls. But despite this, it’s always shaking things up.
Elden Ring 2 Is The Worst Thing FromSoftware Could Make Next
Let’s go back to the original Dark Souls, and the trajectory taken by FromSoftware since its nihilistic action RPG took over the world back in 2011. We saw a sequel arrive in 2014, and during this time Hidetaka Miyazaki was busy developing Bloodborne. That PS4 classic would lead to Dark Souls 3, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, and many years later, Elden Ring.
All of these games adopted similar gameplay systems with distinct quirks, but they also took place in unique worlds that encouraged FromSoftware to experiment with characters, narrative, tone, and how it wanted us to feel in each virtual space. I would hate to lose that with another stab at Elden Ring when more fertile ground could be explored.
We loved Elden Ring. It provided an unrivalled open-world experience where around every corner awaited a new boss to conquer or a dungeon to explore. The scale was impressive, yet it still managed to tell deep and intimate stories that made you feel incredibly small. I’ll play through this masterpiece again and again and again over the years, but that does not mean I want a traditional sequel that follows all the same tropes. I want the opposite.
Shadow of the Erdtree felt like a victory lap for Elden Ring that brought all of its themes and characters to a close, giving us an opportunity to bid The Lands Between farewell. It’s worth noting that FromSoftware hasn’t ruled out returning to this world at some point, but right now its focus is on a handful of other projects that explore other fictional realms. Miyazaki is busy directing something new as well, and I hope that, instead of a sequel, it’s something new and filled with ambition that we couldn’t think of in a million years. We want to be surprised by whatever FromSoftware does next, because the worst thing it could do is fall into a dull routine.
It Needs To Explore A New Universe With New Ideas
Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon was yet another reminder of what FromSoftware is able to produce outside the Elden Ring bubble. A faster, more frantic game with gorgeous visuals and challenging combat which is equally deep and suspenseful as anything Dark Souls is capable of. It’s also a series that the studio has been iterating on for years, with this new title having the resources to broaden its appeal beyond the series’ limited audience.
Now imagine if that expertise and capital was translated into a new King’s Field, a revival of a classic like Kuon, or something entirely new. That’s what I want to see instead of Elden Ring 2, even if I know a sequel would likely be as masterful as its predecessor. We reside in a boring video game landscape where the majority of developers and publishers are afraid to try new things or take creative risks because the costs if things don’t work out are too great.
After the world-conquering success of Elden Ring, From is immune to that risk, and is one of the few triple-A studios with a community willing to follow them anywhere. It needs to use that reputation to its advantage to create something we’ve never seen before, even if it means missing out on Elden Ring 2.
With worldbuilding from Game of Thrones scribe George R.R. Martin and developed by FromSoftware, Elden Ring is a masterpiece in what has become known as the ‘Soulslike’ genre of action role-playing games.