Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree on Final Stretch? [Update: Possible Release Date]

Source: Bandai Namco Entertainment.

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Update

Kadokawa, the parent company of FromSoftware, has released the financial report for the second quarter of fiscal year 2023-2024, ended September 30. It shows that wotk on the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion for Elden Ring is "progressing smoothly," and the developers are "working hard on it." What's more, sales of the base game remain strong, although it is no longer selling as well as it did in the same period of the previous fiscal year.

Also noteworthy is the mention of Elden Ring in plans for the second half of the current fiscal year, which will end on March 31, 2024. "Measures will be taken to maximize the brand's lifetime value - LTV".

This could mean that the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion will be released no later than March 31, 2024. or - in a slightly less optimistic scenario - that by that date FromSoftware will make a full announcement of the expansion and launch a related marketing campaign.

Original news [October 30]

Although the modest announcement of the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC for Elden Ring took place 8 months ago and it is being created for more than twice as long, studio FromSoftware has not revealed too much of the secret, "condemning" fans to speculation. However, it is possible that the wait is slowly coming to an end - the Japanese developer's announcement may suggest that work on the expansion is nearing completion.

Mass recruitment

The studio's website, in fact, published information about mass recruitment. Planners, programmers, graphic designers, designers, composers, sound engineers, testers, marketers - in a word: the team seeks almost everyone except screenwriters.

Briefing sessions related to each position will be held from December 4 to 15, 2023. Significantly, co-creators of Elden Ring and Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon are expected to introduce candidates to the specifics of each function. It is therefore difficult to suppose that FromSoftware has suddenly decided to replace the bulk of the team - it seems that they are simply looking for additions or fresh blood.

Many new projects - including Elden Ring 2?

Especially since the information provided on the site indicates that these job offers are related to "many new projects." What are they? We don't know that for now. Let me just remind you that in an interview from 2022, Hidetaka Miyazaki - president of FromSoftware and director of its most popular works - did not rule out the creation of Elden Ring 2. At that time the decision had not yet been made, and the developer wanted to make the right choice.

Source: FromSoftware.

It is quite possible that now the fate of a potential sequel to last year's hit is already determined. By simple logic, it would have to be created - after all in a little over a year since the release, Elden Ring has sold 20.5 million copies (as it's been more than six months since this news was published, it can be assumed that in the worst case scenario, this number now exceeds 21 million). The rather suggestive slogan seen on the above graphic: "Join us in the next chapter" also leans onto this interpretation, although it most likely simply refers to the next stage of the company's development and does not contain a "hidden message."

Nevertheless, FromSoftware may go in a completely different direction and create a new IP or the next installment of one of its other games or series - Bloodborne, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Armored Core, Dark Souls or even King's Field (because why not). Recall that the Japanese developer has a lot of experience working on several projects simultaneously - in 2016 the team worked on Deracine, Sekiro, Elden Ring and Armored Core VI.

Shadow of the Erdtree - trailer and release date when?

When then will the full announcement of Shadow of the Erdtree take place - one with a trailer and release date? Unless the Japanese decide to surprise us, the most likely date is the night of December 7 to 8, when The Game Awards 2023 gala will be held, and we should learn more details about it in the coming weeks.

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