If Elden Ring Gets Spin-Offs, Another FromSoftware Game Should Follow Close Behind

Posted by By our-little-miss-is-home December 8, 2024 10 Views 7 Min Read
If Elden Ring Gets Spin-Offs, Another FromSoftware Game Should Follow Close Behind



FromSoftware has a storied history in the video game industry, but Elden Ring is perhaps its most successful title yet. When the dark fantasy RPG was released on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC in 2022, it immediately became a cultural phenomenon. Elden Ring sold an astounding 13.4 million copies in just a few weeks, and it was widely lauded as one of the best games ever made. FromSoftware proved that ER‘s success wasn’t a mere fluke when it released its first and only expansion, Shadow of the Erdtree, earlier this year; like the base game, it launched to similar critical and commercial success.




Despite the popularity of the Elden Ring IP, it seems like players won’t get the chance to experience a sequel to the game anytime soon. Hidetaka Miyazaki, the esteemed director behind Elden Ring, recently confirmed in an interview with Game Watch that FromSoftware was not actively planning to make an Elden Ring 2. He did, however, note that this didn’t mean the company was “denying the development of the IP.” Even though FromSoftware may not make a direct follow-up to its critically acclaimed 2022 RPG, it appears that it’s open to expanding the world of Elden Ring in other ways, perhaps by making spin-offs. If FromSoft does indeed go this route, then it should also consider making spin-offs for the recently-released Armored Core 6 : Fires of Rubicon.

Armored Core 6 Raven

Related
One Year Later, Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon Proves the Series Still Has Legs

Armored Core made its triumphant return last year with Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon, injecting new life into the franchise.

FromSoftware Should Make More Spin-Offs in the Armored Core Franchise


Armored Core 6’s Success Should Encourage FromSoftware to Expand the Armored Core IP

Armored Core 6 is the most recent installment in FromSoftware’s long-running Armored Core series, and it was released just last year. Despite being a new entry in a franchise that was dormant for an entire decade, AC6 was a triumph for both FromSoft and publisher Bandai Namco. The game didn’t break into the zeitgeist in the same way that Elden Ring did, but it ended up becoming the best-selling AC title ever made, as AC6 sold approximately 3 million copies worldwide in less than a year. Given the positive commercial reception that AC6 received, it seems like it would be a no-brainer for FromSoftware to capitalize on its success by making follow-ups to the game, both spin-offs and mainline entries.

There Aren’t A Lot of Armored Core Spin-Offs Out There

The Armored Core franchise has been around for nearly 30 years, but it hasn’t received a lot of side games or spin-offs. Pretty much every installment in the series is a third-person mecha shooter; they have almost never strayed away from the formula established by their predecessors. That being said, there are a few AC titles that don’t fall under this category, such as Armored Core: Nine Breaker and Armored Core: Formula Front.


These two games, which were released in 2004 as PlayStation console exclusives, are both still mecha shooters. However, instead of having story-based missions like the mainline Armored Core entries, they feature PvE combat encounters that take place during tournaments. There were five other AC spin-offs released exclusively for mobile phones in Japan as well, including Armored Core: Mobile Mission and Armored Core: Mobile Online, but very little is known about them since they were all shut down.

Miyazaki recently revealed that FromSoftware is working on multiple new projects in a variety of genres, which shows that the company is trying to branch out from what it is typically known for. Taking this into consideration, it would be a great idea for the studio to take Armored Core to the next level by making a spin-off in the series that’s in an entirely different genre compared to its predecessors.


Instead of making yet another third-person shooter, maybe FromSoftware can create a tactical turn-based Armored Core RPG in the vein of Front Mission, or perhaps they can develop a character action game along the lines of Metal Wolf Chaos. The mere concept of a non-conventional AC game may be preposterous to some, but diversifying the series with spin-offs in different genres can help it appeal to a wider audience.

Source link