From Software Drops An Update On “Elden Ring”

After an explosive debut at E3 2019, the promising Dark Souls meets Game of Thrones mashup Elden Ring went dormant for the entirety of 2020, leaving fans wondering when or if we’d ever get an update on the much-hyped project. Thankfully, the run-up to E3 2021 finally brought a major update, with a new trailer and (gasp) an actual release date.

Debuting at Summer Game Fest, the trailer shows off familiar Soulslike action RPG combat and gameplay mechanics, teases of lore created in collaboration between Hidetaka Miyazaki and George R.R. Martin, and of course epic boss fights in an ambitious-looking open world that looks to be a big advancement for developer From Software. Perhaps most exciting of all, the trailer ends with a truly unexpected development: the announcement of a release date of January 21st, 2022. That’s right, a George R.R. Martin project with a firm release date.

Fans who had been wondering if the game was purely vaporware after over a year with no real updates have to be excited to know they have just over six more months to wait for the game’s release. It certainly seems like the development team has been hard at work since the project was first revealed if we are to believe the project is now farther along than the next A Song of Ice and Fire novel that has been in the works since *checks notes* …2010? Really? Ah well, at least fans can joyfully re-watch that epic final season of Game of Thrones while they wait.