It’s no secret that the Elden Ring fanbase is absolutely ravenous for some kind of news. After it was announced quite some time ago, supporters of the title have gone over a year without hearing any sort of major news of any kind. At Gamescom, they flooded the chat with requests for news on the game so much that the game’s name was actually banned from being used in chat. There’s a lot of ways that outsiders could view this sort of behavior, but few would deny that the the fans aren’t dedicated to this game. It is that dedication that could result in Elden Ring doing the impossible and dethroning its predecessors.
Elden Ring was revealed at E3 2019, but has since gone completely silent to the dismay of fans. The dedicated subreddit is full of optimistic people speculating on what the next event Elden Ring could show up at and an equal number of pessimists making jokes about going hollow during the wait. At every turn, though, the community is shut down in one way or another. Gamescom’s banning of the game title, Jeff Grubb claiming that Bakugan is more likely to be shown than Elden Ring, and other instances come to mind.
In days of yore, developers didn’t have any sort of obligation to communicate with their customers. A game was revealed when the developers revealed it and it would release when it was ready. Fans didn’t expect detailed updates about development progress and DLC plans and the like. Times are very different now, and with companies like Borderlands 3 creator Gearbox pioneering a new era of increased communication between fans and developers, the expectation is forming a sort of unspoken contract. Elden Ring is flying in the face of this idea, leaving fans completely in the dark.
The lack of Elden Ring news would have killed any other game, a fact that is simply a testament to how great From Software’s titles are and how its fans are avid supporters. Other titles like Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot take several months to reveal any information about the upcoming DLC and many fans have already jumped ship, yet the Elden Ring fandom seems to still be going strong, united by a common suffering in waiting for the game’s eventual release. This strength is the key to Elden Ring‘s ability to dethrone Dark Souls and Bloodborne, From Software’s previous hit titles.
Support from fans alone won’t automatically make Elden Ring the obvious victor when it comes to these three games, as FromSoftware will need to find a way to meet fans’ very high expectations. Dark Souls and Bloodborne are considered masterpieces for a reason, and the team at FromSoftware will need to find a way to recreate that success while making the game stand out enough if they want to break yet another ceiling. It would also be wise to ride this wave while it is at its highest, and after the devastating blow of having no Elden Ring news at Xbox Games Showcase or Gamescom, it seems to be on the decline.
Elden Ring is in a very unique but precarious situation. Its fans conviction seems to be unwavering, and the longer FromSoftware waits the stronger that conviction seems to grow. Yet at the same time, there will eventually be a tipping point, meaning if information isn’t revealed soon, the hype will die sooner rather than later. If FromSoftware wants to capitalize on its position, it needs to give something to its loyal fans, whether that be a full release date or even just another trailer to hold them over until more information can be given. Unfortunately, this seems unlikely, as there aren’t many events in 2020 to show Elden Ring at left.
Elden Ring is in development now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
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