The name Elden Ring has become synonymous with heartbreak for many, as those looking forward to the game have slowly gone hollow waiting for it. With each major gaming event that it doesn't make an appearance at, fans lose hope that it's even real. Every now and then someone will pop up to remind fans that it exists and that FromSoftware is still working on it, but there has still yet to be an official trailer or promotion for the game since its reveal almost two years ago. Now that Bandai Namco has confirmed its involvement at E3 2021, players are starting to realize how perfect it would be for Elden Ring to be shown there.
For those that may not know, Elden Ring's reveal trailer was also shown at E3, but this was two years ago in 2019. This puts fans in a difficult spot, because while it would be perfect for the game to make a return two years later on the same stage, history has shown time and time again that getting excited for Elden Ring news only leads to disappointment. For this reason, fans should be weary. It's better to be pleasantly surprised than to get hyped and wind up disappointed.
Why E3 2021 is Perfect For Elden Ring
As previously mentioned, Elden Ring was revealed at E3 2019. Since Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice had only just come out, fans were surprised to see another project from FromSoftware so soon. What followed was almost two years of absolute silence. Fans felt as though they'd been ghosted by a video game and started to question whether or not the whole thing was just one giant shared fever dream. Naturally this isn't the case, but the complete lack of any sort of news about Elden Ring for so long was certainly strange.
Now E3 2021 will be almost exactly two years later. Fans have waited this long and stayed excited for a game that they know almost nothing about, and showing the game here again would be the reward they've waited for. Whether or not that would just be another trailer, perhaps show gameplay elements, put to rest some of the many questions fans have, or even give a release date remains to be seen, but fans would be happy with anything at this point. Bandai Namco Entertainment is notorious for its lack of communication with certain titles, but this is on an entirely different level.
Elden Ring - A History of Disappointment
It doesn't seem to matter what the gaming event is, fans will get excited if there's even a chance that Elden Ring will show up. It's gotten so bad in the past that the phrase "Elden Ring" was actually banned from the Gamescom Twitch chat because players were spamming it so much. Despite this overwhelming excitement for the game, every event that it has been rumored to be shown at has been notably lacking in anything Elden Ring. Many fans are worried that the same will hold true for E3 2021.
Whether it's The Game Awards, the Tokyo Game Show, or any other event, the cycle of getting hyped for Elden Ring and then leaving disappointed seems to be endless. Some even feel it would be best if Elden Ring just shadow dropped at this point, but that does seem unlikely. Bandai Namco's involvement at E3 2021 is definitely a good sign for Elden Ring believers, but it's important to realize that there are a ton of other properties that Bandai Namco could be there to show instead of Elden Ring.
Bandai Namco at E3 2021
Obviously the most highly anticipated upcoming Bandai Namco game is Elden Ring, but that doesn't automatically mean that it will be there. Bandai Namco also has a massive catalog of other games that it publishes and develops, including a whole host of Dragon Ball Z games, the Tales of series, Soul Calibur games, and a ton of others. As great as it would be to see Elden Ring at E3 2021, fans need to understand that Bandai Namco being there doesn't confirm that Elden Ring news will finally come.
Rather than Elden Ring, fans should expect to see showings for Tales of Arise, which ironically was also revealed at E3 2019. The difference between these two games is that Tales of Arise actually has a release date in September 2021, whereas Elden Ring still does not. There may also be news about Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot or Dragon Ball FighterZ, as well as the upcoming Scarlet Nexus which is set to release right after E3 2021. This is all just speculation, as there's simply no way to know what Bandai Namco will show ahead of time.
Elden Ring at E3 2021
With all the negativity and caution out of the way, there is always the possibility that Elden Ring will finally make an appearance at this year's E3. With so many rumors, leaks, and theories floating around, it's sometimes hard to keep everything straight. The best thing for fans to do is simply tune in when E3 finally comes and wait. It's hard to even imagine what an Elden Ring reveal would be like since it has been so hyped up over the last two years, but since it has been confirmed that the game is still real it must come at some point. With any luck, that point will be E3 2021.
At the moment it isn't entirely clear when Bandai Namco will take the stage to (hopefully) deliver some Elden Ring news, so players will need to keep an eye for the E3 schedule. Once that is released, they should have a good idea of when to tune in. Aside from Elden Ring, there will likely be many other exciting announcements as this is the first E3 since the release of the next generation PS5 and Xbox Series X. Die hard Elden Ring fans have already waited this long, so what's a few more months to wait for E3?
Elden Ring is in development for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.