It’s been rumored for months that A Song of Ice and Fire author George R.R. Martin was in some way involved in the creation of Dark Souls developer FromSoftware’s new project, and Martin himself lent credence to the rumor last month when he mentioned on his Not A Blog that he’d “consulted on a video game out of Japan.” Yesterday, this was confirmed when Elden Ring was announced at the Microsoft E3 2019 press conference!
As usual with FromSoftware, Elden Ring is an action RPG, of which there is no gameplay available yet. The teaser trailer above is all there is, where it’s revealed that Martin was involved, as one may expect, in what appears to be his favorite realm of writing: worldbuilding. “A new world created by [game director and FromSoftware president] Hidetaka Miyazaki and George R.R. Martin”, the trailer below proudly claims.
In FromSoftware’s official statement, Miyazaki says “collaborating with George R.R. Martin to create the Elden Ring mythos has been a genuinely delightful experience and a source of wonderful inspiration. The team is working hard to ensure that the world of Elden Ring will be a fascinating place for players to explore, filled with peril and wonder from its furthest reaches to its lowest depths. This is a FromSoftware title through and through, rich in fantasy and RPG action. We sincerely hope you look forward to it.”
Martin himself is quoted in the announcement, adding that “building the world of Elden Ring with Miyazaki-san and his team was a treat! The graphics, mythos, and action-RPG gameplay will deliver an unforgettable experience. I can’t wait for people to see what Elden Ring has in store for them.” So there you have it! And here’s the teaser trailer:
For those unaware, ‘FromSoft’ is known for developing incredibly beautiful and challenging games such as Demon’s Souls, the Dark Souls trilogy, Bloodborne, and the recently released Sekiro. If you’re interested in giving Elden Ring a try when it’s released based on Martin’s involvement in its creation but you haven’t touched a game in quite some time, I would advise caution; unless FromSoftware is going in an entirely different direction for once, it’s probably going to be a ruthless experience. It is perhaps quite appropriate that the next game from the developers of a series marketed with the “Prepare to Die” slogan is created with the help of the man behind the similarly ruthless world of Game of Thrones. That said, in this case it’ll be you doing the dying.
