The trailer for Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree released yesterday has sparked a new wave of excitement around the multiple award-winning game developed by FromSoftware. One question that some fans have been asking is, what next for the franchise after the release of the DLC in June?
The studio’s boss Hidetaka Miyazaki has not ruled out the possibility of making a sequel for the game—or a second expansion. Also, Bandai Namco, the game’s publisher, claimed the game has shipped over 23 million copies since its release in February 2022.
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FromSoftware boss recently sat down with Mitchell Saltzman of IGN where he answered critical questions about the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion. The upcoming expansion is billed as FromSoftware’s biggest expansion to date. Therefore, it was not surprising that the question came up during the interview.
When asked about the size of the upcoming expansion which the FromSoftware boss earlier confirmed would take place on a new map, Miyazaki struggled to answer the question because he was careful to avoid spoilers.
“It’s hard to answer without giving away too much and to a high degree of accuracy,” Miyazaki said, “but if you think in terms of scale or size, it’s probably comparable, if not larger, than the area of Limgrave from the base game.
In terms of how Shadow of the Erdtree expansion would be structured, Miyazaki said it would be similar to the base game. According to the FromSoftware boss, Shadow of the Erdtree expansion will have “open field maps, with large scale legacy dungeons, and small to medium scale legacies as well”.
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Miyazaki was asked if Shadow of the Erdtree expansion will be the conclusion of Elden Ring’s story or whether fans of the franchise expect more DLC or a sequel to the base game in the future. He said the story was still open to possibilities, recalling the studio said the same at the end of Dark Souls 3.
“We don’t have any current plans to make a second DLC or a sequel, but we definitely don’t want to snuff out that possibility. We think that there could well be something in the future.”
FromSoftware boss is happy gamers want a Bloodborne remake
Miyazaki also granted an interview with Ed Nightingale of Eurogamer. However, this time the discussion was tilted more towards Bloodborne rather than Shadow of the Erdtree expansion. Bloodborne was a PS4 exclusive that fans of FromSoftware continue to talk about, many years after its release in March 2015.
“It is a title we hold very dear and just as much as our fans,” Miyazaki told Eurogamer when asked about the possibility of having a Bloodborne remake. “It does make me very happy to see that there are still so many people passionate about it.”
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When old titles are brought to newer consoles, the studio usually must choose between conserving the game and exploiting all the potential of the new generation console. For example, the recently released Tomb Raider I-III is a remaster of the classic titles that preserves the original game as much as possible.
However, it is important to also mention that Fromsoftware is not a stranger to game remakes. For example, the developer remade Demon’s Souls for PS5. The game was first released on PS3, meaning the remake enjoyed a double leap in hardware capabilities.
“I think having new hardware is definitely a part of what gives these remakes value,” Miyazaki said. “Things you weren’t able to achieve on previous generations of hardware, ways you weren’t able to render specific expressions – [new hardware] sometimes makes it possible.”
“However, I wouldn’t say that’s the be-all and end-all. I think purely from a user perspective, modern hardware also allows more players to appreciate all the games. So, it ends up being a simple reason, but as a fellow player, I think that accessibility is important. I think that can be the driving force between bringing an old game to a new platform.”
Miyazaki apologized because he couldn’t say much about a Bloodborne remake. Nevertheless, he could not hide his excitement at the fact that the game has continued to generate conversation. According to the FromSoftware boss, such discussions make him extremely happy.
“Put simply, it makes me very happy to see it’s a title with a lot of specific memories, both for me and the staff who worked on it,” Miyazaki said. “When we see those passionate voices in the community, of course, it makes us feel thrilled, it makes us feel very fortunate to have that and to have those memories.”
