A listing on Target's website recently leaked what appears to be a tentative release date for FromSoftware's upcoming epic action game Elden Ring. The post went up on Target today, listing the game as now available for pre-order for $59.99, with a release date of June 30, 2020.
There's a handful of reasons why June 30, 2020 may not really be Elden Ring's release date, however. That being said, it could still be indicative of the game's release window, at the very least.
For one, June 30 is the last day of the second financial quarters for most companies. That's why it is common to see December 31 as a placeholder release date for many games slotted for Q4 and the Holiday season. June 30 could very well be a placeholder date in this tradition, but it's not a date you see typically used.
June 30 is also a Tuesday, which used to be a common day for releases that you still see for high profile games like Gears 5, but Fridays are becoming just as common. That date in particular seems to give nothing away. The end of June, however, is an inopportune time to launch a new game as it comes right after E3 and is often a slow time for games. On the other hand, not much else would be clogging the market and a FromSoftware game has a large enough day-one user base that it would still sell well.
Ultimately, however, the most we can conclusively say based on the release date is Elden Ring is likely slated for Q2 2020. In that quarter, May is often the biggest month for game releases for a May date would not be shocking to see. This may seem a way out, but considering the fact that FromSoftware just shipped a new IP in March, it's exciting and impressive to see so many new ideas come from a studio over such a short time period.
It's looking like Elden Ring is a return to the narrative style of Dark Souls for FromSoftware. According to director Hidetaka Miyazaki the team is placing an emphasis on environmental storytelling rather than pre-rendered cutscenes. This is the opposite direction from its most recent game Sekiro.
Elden Ring is confirmed for release on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Source: Target