Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin to forge a fantastical new realm that will, once again, test players' grit and determination. Fans of the twitchy action-adventure titles have naturally been buzzing, but there's been nothing but radio silence from FromSoftware for over a year. That's left gamers to look to rumors and alleged leaks for any morsel of information about Elden Ring.
Elden Ring was revealed on June 9, 2019, with a teaser trailer at E3 2019, but there haven't been any updates ever since. The title has not received an official release date, but that might change soon based on chatter that has steadily trickled out from online forums. Many of these claims have come from trusted game-industry insiders, which has given some of the unverified details about Elden Ring more weight than the usual anonymous leak.
It's also reassuring that many Elden Ring leaks and rumors have begun to align, which could be a sign that the information leakers have acquired stems from the same source. A handful of statements from the game's development staff have also painted a picture of what Soulsborne fans could expect it to be like upon release. Here's everything to know about Elden Ring's release date and gameplay details based on over a year of hints and rumors.
Elden Ring Release Date Rumors
Before Elden Ring's E3 2019 reveal, Resetera leaker Omnipotent (who deactivated their , turning its name to Deleted Member 2229) correctly predicted that FromSoftware had news to share at E3 2019. That May 31 leak has turned them into one of the more trustworthy Soulsborne leakers online.
On the same day, journalist Jason Schreier responded to a tweet asking if a "G.R.R. Martin FromSoftware Game" would be arriving in 2020. He responded, "yes," which sparked a wave of speculation that Elden Ring would hit shelves before 2020 was up.
Elden Ring: Hidetaka Miyazaki Interviews
A day after the Elden Ring teaser trailer was released, Xbox Wire and IGN published interviews with Game Director Hidetaka Miyazaki. These Q&A pieces shed light on when Elden Ring had begun its development, George R.R. Martin's role in the process, and a few other gameplay tidbits.
Miyazaki revealed that FromSoftware started working on Elden Ring just about halfway through 2017 and continued to chip away at it even during the production of Sekiro. He said the Game of Thrones author had written Elden Ring's "overarching mythos" of the title and that it will be more of a role-playing game than other Soulsbornes, but it will retain FromSoftware's classic third-person perspective. Miyazaki also described its world as a "dark fantasy" universe with sprawling environments that would include ridable horses.
Elden Ring: Resetera Leak
After months of silence, Elden Ring would focus on world traversal more than previous Soulsbornes that heavily relied on fast-traveling.
To make this open world design work, they claimed FromSoftware is attempting to make it as dynamic as possible. That includes a weather cycle system and improved AI so that enemies' movements are less choreographed to make them feel alive. This means players wouldn't be forced to fight enemies and mini-bosses. They could opt to run away to avoid the enemy entirely, and when they returned, that enemy might not be there any longer.
Elden Ring Rumor Timeline: The Game Awards 2019
As 2019 came to a close, Elden Ring's speculative release date window was still thought to be sometime in 2020. That led many gamers to believe that FromSoftware would be planning a surprise release date reveal at the Game Awards that year to target a late-2020 launch.
Elden Ring was glaringly absent from the awards ceremony that year, leaving many fans wondering if it had been delayed. This began a period of silence for the title, which was only exasperated by 2020.
Elden Ring Rumor Timeline: 2020 Delay
By mid-March 2020, game developers started to shift their workflows to allow employees to work remotely because of the coronavirus pandemic. This caused delays across the gaming industry, which could have been a factor in the scarcity of Elden Ring information at the time.
The only tidbit of information about FromSoftware's release came from nameless s on anonymous message board 4chan in July. This leak claimed that wouldn't have difficulty options, which might have been concerning for some players since Soulsborne games are known to be challenging. These had no evidence to back them up, so they could be completely fabricated, but a major Elden Ring info dump was only a few months away.
In December, game industry insider Jeff Grubb stated that the developer had a playable build of the game ready to go and that a new Elden Ring trailer was only a couple of months away. Days later, Italian journalist sco Fossetti followed-up Grubb's statements by revealing that a source had told him FormSoftware was putting the finishing touches on Elden Ring.
Fossetti, who's an editor for Everyeye, went on to explain that if it weren't for the workflow interruptions caused by the pandemic, Elden Ring would have been out already. Grubb and Fossetti cited anonymous sources, but they both have proven track records of bringing details of unreleased games to light. Plus, a subsequent leak would further back up their claims.
Chinese content creator Longqi Bangbangtang posted a now-deleted video where he allegedly revealed key Elden Ring gameplay details and claimed the game would be released in 2021. He provided allegedly leaked concept art as proof, which was reposted to Reddit on December 29. The alleged leak also included details about Elden Ring's weather system and the potential night-and-day cycle alluded to in Omnipotent's original leak form 2019.
Finally, a 4chan posted a six-second clip of what they claim is a new Elden Ring trailer that is set to be released on February 7. The supposed leak was reposted on Reddit on January 11, 2021 by MrRedoot5 , who expressed skepticism about its legitimacy but could not find any evidence to confirm or deny the alleged leaker's statements.
As it stands, that was the latest update gamers received about the ongoing status of the Soulsborne. It seems likely that FromSoftware has been dealing with the pandemic's road bumps caused by the pandemic. Still, this sudden influx of Elden Ring information could mean the developer is preparing to make an update soon. Gamers will need to continue waiting to know for sure, but 2021 appears to be the year when the mysterious Soulsborne comes to light.
