The Timing Is Right For An ‘Elden Ring’ DLC Reveal At The Game Awards

The Sport Awards is about to air in slightly below two weeks, and lately, posed a query concerning the World Premiere that followers had been hoping to see probably the most on the present.

Essentially the most common answer was not an already introduced recreation or theoretical sequel, however truly DLC for an current recreation, particularly this 12 months’s GOTY frontrunner, Elden Ring. And doing the maths, asserting DLC for Elden Ring on the Sport Awards, a present the place it appears considerably more likely to win Sport of the 12 months, truly could add up fairly completely.

With Elden Ring debuting in late February 2022, early December can be simply over 9 months after the discharge of the sport. Elden Ring is already on the late aspect in relation to debuting DLC in comparison with earlier FromSoftware video games, as I’ve documented up to now:

• Darkish Souls was launched on September 11, 2011 with its first DLC, Artorias of the Abyss, launched on October 23, 2012, 13 months later.
• Darkish Souls 2 was launched on March 11, 2014 with its first DLC, Crown of the Sunken King, launched on July 22, 2014, 4 months later.
• Darkish Souls 3 was launched on March 24, 2016 with its first DLC, Ashes of Ariandel, launched on October 25, 2016, 7 months later.
• Bloodborne was launched on March 24, 2015 with its first DLC, The Outdated Hunters, launched on November 24, 2015, 8 months later.
• Sekiro and Demon’s Souls by no means received paid growth DLC.

So, by this time, Darkish Souls 2 and three and Bloodborne all had DLC out. When it comes to simply announcement of DLC, we’re well beyond due. Bloodborne’s Outdated Hunters DLC was introduced six months after launch, two months earlier than it got here out. Darkish Souls 2’s DLC was introduced solely three months after the sport launched.

What’s taking so lengthy? Effectively, as ever, we’re affected by the lingering results of three years of COVID delays, which has made 2022 a comparatively barren 12 months for video games basically, with just a few exceptions, Elden Ring included. So tack on some further time for that motive alone.

Second, with Elden Ring, there’s merely zero have to rush. The sport is a big best-seller, miles past anything FromSoftware has produced, so it might launch DLC tomorrow or one other six months from now and it will nonetheless promote exceptionally nicely. And it’s attainable they could have timed this all out to perfection. Think about Elden Ring profitable Sport of the 12 months the identical night time it proclaims its long-anticipated DLC on the Sport Awards. I can’t image any higher strategy to instantly drive hundreds of thousands of pre-sales for that content material.

My guess is that Elden Ring DLC can be extra concerned and expansive than previous FromSoftware DLC, primarily as a result of Elden Ring itself is extra expansive. I suppose it’s not inconceivable that they skip DLC and simply begin work on their subsequent recreation, as DLC has considerably fallen out of favor for giant video games lately (GTA 5, regardless of all its gross sales, by no means did paid single participant story DLC), but it surely actually looks as if it’s going to occur. And that this can be the right time to announce it.

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Decide up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller sequence and The Earthborn Trilogy.