Elden Ring is the next big game from FromSoftware which is a huge deal for anyone who’s fond of the Dark Souls series. It’s especially exciting considering how much the two properties have been compared and how FromSoftware’s president Hidetaka Miyazaki has said it’s basically an evolution of the Dark Souls games as well. There’s not a lot known about Elden Ring’s actual gameplay and mechanics yet though, but one of the most interesting details is that it involves A Song of Ice and Fire author George R.R. Martin. Miyazaki said that this new game has given the author a chance to “unleash his creativity.”
Videos by ComicBook.com
Speaking to IGN about the game, Miyazaki talked about Elden Ring’s world and how it involved Martin. We’ve already learned before that Martin was responsible for creating the “overarching mythos” in the game, but what all that entailed was still somewhat unclear. Based on Miyazaki’s latest comments, we now know that Martin created a world that existed long before players take on their role in the game. The fact that he worked on a world which wasn’t impacted by player involvement means that he could “unleash his creativity,” Miyazaki said.
“Storytelling in video games – at least the way we do it at FromSoftware – comes with a lot of restrictions for the writer,” Miyazaki told IGN. “I didn’t think it was a good idea to have Martin write within those restrictions. By having him write about a time the player isn’t directly involved in, he is free to unleash his creativity in the way he likes. Furthermore, as FromSoftware we didn’t want to create a more linear and storydriven experience for Elden Ring. Both issues could be solved by having Martin write about the world’s history instead.”
Considering Martin’s profession, there was also the question of whether or not the game would every be novelized, but if you’re familiar with the worlds FromSoftware and Miyazaki have created, you might already have an idea of why this idea potentially wouldn’t work out.
“A novelization would mean that all the secrets and mystery hidden in our game would be revealed,” Miyazaki said. “From the point of view of a director, I’m not sure if that would be the right thing to do.”
Elden Ring does not yet have a release date, though it’s planned to launch on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC platforms.
