Elden Ring is a hotly anticipated and highly-discussed title from the studio FromSoftware, with the involvement of critically acclaimed fantasy writer George RR Martin only adding to fans' excitement. While the game didn't make an appearance at the Tokyo Game Show, those who have been waiting for this game were given a small update regarding its progress through a different show. With the game set to launch early next year, manager Yasuhiro Kitao made a brief appearance to answer some questions regarding the game, including its development status.
Kitao made a small appearance on a video program hosted by Famitsu. One of the questions asked was regarding the content of Elden Ring, re-iterating what kind of game it is. He describes it as "a culmination of FromSoftware's expertise in dark fantasy action," with fans expecting the same kind of difficulty and adventure that were present in Dark Souls and the other games under the company's belt. Other things that he talked about involve the amount of dungeons that can be found in the game's vast open world.
The other details discussed involved Elden Ring's map and fast travel functions, which will be a big shake up from the company's previous games. This includes how big the map will be, with Kitao explaining that it is more unusual and unconventional. This involves the player being able to piece together their locations by picking up pieces of the game's map that can be found in the overworld, letting the player dictate how they wish to explore.
In regards to the game development stages, Kitao explained "We're in the final stages of development, and we're moving forward quietly." With a sense of humility, he gave a message towards the fans eagerly expecting this game as well. He started with addressing the gap of news between Elden Ring's initial E3 2019 reveal to the video that was shown off in June, saying "I thought it would be forgotten until then, but there were many people waiting for it, and I want to say thank you again to them."
He finishes his brief appearance on the program by sharing that he hopes the fans' expectations can be met as the team continues developing Elden Ring. It should be noted that Kitao only showed up for ten minutes on Famitsu's program, due to the busy nature of his work at FromSoftware. Regardless, his appearance still highlighted a lot of features that fans can be excited for this upcoming title.
Elden Ring releases on January 21, 2022 for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.