It doesn't take much to trigger excitement in From Software fans looking forward to Elden Ring. Publisher Bandai Namco has been keeping quiet about the upcoming fantasy RPG, choosing to wait until the game is further along in development before sharing more information. As such, fans have been looking to big gaming events for potential Elden Ring news, and they may have just found their next option as Bandai Namco is confirmed to present at E3 2021.

The ESA, the organizing body behind E3, expanded its list of "Participating Companies" over the weekend. The list includes dozens of partner publishers, including major companies like Nintendo and Xbox. One of the latest additions to the list is Bandai Namco, which had previously been unconfirmed. Bandai Namco is notable because it's the publisher of Elden Ring, so if the game is going to be shown at E3 than Bandai Namco would have to participate.

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With that said, Bandai Namco's participation in E3 2021 does not guarantee Elden Ring will be showcased. Bandai Namco has a great line-up of upcoming games to be released in 2021 and beyond that are more likely to be shown. Games like Tales of Arise, Scarlet Nexus, and Digimon Survive are all still tentatively planned for release in 2021, and E3 would be a great opportunity to showcase them. Meanwhile, Elden Ring doesn't have a release window yet.

bandai namco e3 2021 participatin companies

That's not to say that Elden Ring won't be shown at E3, it's just best to maintain healthy expectations, particularly regarding Elden Ring at this point. Those looking forward to Elden Ring's eventual release know the community can build up unrealistic expectations for Elden Ring reveals. It's perhaps better to acknowledge the possibility of a reveal, be patient, and ultimately be surprised when the game is shown again.

If there's one persuasive reason to believe Elden Ring will be shown at E3 or this summer, it's that there have been reports of Bandai Namco wanting to show more of the game throughout early 2021. In fact, a March Elden Ring reveal was said to be planned, only to be delayed due to leaks.

E3 also doesn't have to be the place that Bandai Namco shares Elden Ring next. There are a variety of summer events planned, since everything has moved online due to the pandemic. Elden Ring could also be shown as part of Xbox's summer or E3 plans rather than at Bandai Namco's presentations if the advertising partnership between the two is ongoing. Needless to say, summer 2021 should be fun whether Elden Ring is shown or not.

Elden Ring is currently in development.

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