Summary
There hasn’t been much in terms of official news regardingElden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree since its announcement, but several sources have indicated that a major update could be coming sooner rather than later. While some fans are expecting FromSoftware to utilize the second anniversary for an announcement or even surprise release later this month, there have also been some who’ve speculated that this DLC might still be months away after. With so much of the discourse surrounding Shadow of the Erdtree being related to how long its production is taking, the effort put into it could have just beena full standalone follow-up toElden Ring.
There have been rumors that Shadow of the Erdtree will be the largest DLC that the studio has ever released. It’s undeniable that there’s a sizable number of dedicated FromSoft fans who are almost certain to pick up the expansion when it arrives, the same can’t necessarily be said for the general public of more casual gamers, most of whom may not have playedElden Ringfor the better of two years by now. Shadow of the Erdtree will likely push the limits of what even constitutes DLC for an existing game, a decision that could be seen as riskier than reaping the rewards of a secondElden Ringtitle.
Shadow of the Erdtree’s Potentially Unprecedented Scale as a DLC Expansion
Development Cycles of Previous FromSoft Titles Were Shorter
BeforeElden Ring, all the Soulsborne RPGs made by FromSoftware which received DLC content saw their expansions released within, at most, a little over a year from the date of the base game’s initial release. In the case ofBloodborne’s The Old Hunters, one of the most unanimously well-received DLCs in the studio’s history, it was even released during the same year. Shadow of the Erdtree, on the other hand, is approaching two years sinceElden Ringwithout any release window, a fact that has led many fans to believe it will be much larger than anything that has come before.
Rumors Compare Shadow of the Erdtree to the Entirety of Bloodborne
Several pieces of alleged information regarding SotE have circulated over the past few months, ranging from mysteriousSteam updates toElden Ringto seemingly concrete descriptions of new areas. If nothing else, this suggests that the expansion alone will be massive.
If the leaks stating thatSotE is the size of two DLCsturn out to be true, the choice to make this an expansion seems even more questionable on the part of FromSoft.
FromSoftware’s Choice to Focus on Shadow of the Erdtree Over the Next Elden Ring
Entire RPGs Have Been Produced in the Span of SotE’s Development
There is no set amount of time that a video game takes to create, but it’s undeniable that the time sinceElden Ring’s release has been ample time for several studios to be on the road to completing notable games in the past. With eventhe originalDark Soulsonly taking about two years to make, andBloodbornetaking around three, it seems that Shadow of the Erdtree has landed in a strange middle ground of development time. It’s unknown if FromSoft will choose to launch the expansion later this month, announce it and begin a proper marketing campaign, or simply stay silent as time continues to stretch into the length of full game production.
Elden Ring
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ELDEN RING, developed by FromSoftware, Inc. and BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Inc., is a fantasy action-RPG adventure set within a world created by Hidetaka Miyazaki and George R.R. Martin. Danger and discovery lurk around every corner in FromSoftware’s largest game to date. Hidetaka Miyazaki - President and Game Director of FromSoftware Inc. Known for directing critically-acclaimed games in beloved franchises including Armored Core and Dark Souls.George R.R. Martin is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of many novels, including the acclaimed series A Song of Ice and Fire - A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords, A Feast For Crows, and A Dance with Dragons. As a writer-producer, he has worked on The Twilight Zone, Beauty and the Beast, and various feature films and pilots that were never made. He lives with the lovely Parris in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
