Hidetaka Miyazaki Confirms Elden Ring 2 Isn’t in Development For Now
The question of whether there will be an Elden Ring 2 looms over the world of gaming, particularly after the phenomenal success of the initial title. The President of FromSoftware and Director of the game, Hidetaka Miyazaki, has recently commented on the direct sequel possibility, revealing that even though it is not actively under discussion, the option for returning to the franchise in the future is left intentionally ajar.
In his appearance at the PlayStation Partner Awards 2024 Japan Asia, Miyazaki confirmed that FromSoftware is developing several projects at once. None of them are direct, immediate sequels to the 2022 fantasy epic. As quoted and translated, he explained, "We're not really thinking about developments like an Elden Ring 2 at this time." He also mentioned that the upcoming titles span several genres, with some under his direct supervision and others under different directors in the studio.
The Strategic Imperative for a Sequel
FromSoftware's legacy is defined by their unique contribution to the RPG genre of the past 15 years in the form of the "Souls-like" genre. Even as their dark fantasy worlds, like the Dark Souls series, gothic horror of Bloodborne, and mythological Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice are staples of their legacy, success with this game set a new benchmark of fiscal expectation.
The Unprecedented Commercial Success
The financial achievement of the game makes a sequel a very real possibility for the publisher.
Breakthroughs in Sales: The initial game shipped over 25 million copies and became the studio's highest-rated release.
Profit Generation: The expansion pack of the game made Bandai Namco experience their most profitable quarter ever, prompting them to have to adjust their profit estimates higher. The game is an unequivocal cash cow.
Stakeholder Demand: While Miyazaki has stated that financial success is not the sole metric on which to base the next project, the commercial magnitude of the first game creates an enormous external demand for a sequel.
When comparing these figures to another acclaimed title from the studio, such as Armored Core VI, which sold around three million copies, the massive disparity in revenue makes the eventual development of a direct successor feel more probable than not.
Miyazaki’s Creative Vision and Future Plans
The director's statements also imply a sense of personal motivation to return to edgy dark fantasy endeavors, indicating that the spiritual successor to the game is all but inevitable even if a direct sequel is not currently in the works.
Overcoming Challenges: Miyazaki said that the sense of "overcoming challenges and the dark fantasy world setting is something I will always have." He further added that creating the first game was a "challenging and long process," but most rewarding creatively as a director.
The Quest for Perfection: Earlier he had said that the first game was "close but not quite" his dream RPG come true. Taking the things that didn't quite work in the first game and doing something better with them in a followup game is a quest that's really thrilling to him.
This necessity to grow and surpass a gargantuan-sized project means that the studio is on the verge of creating another giant-sized dark fantasy RPG, so the subject matter of continuation is a matter of timing in the future.
Examining the Story Potential for Elden Ring 2
Despite the titanic nature of the Lands Between, there is ample space in the lore for a new story.
The presence of a single expansion pack, with no other content for the first game being released, shows that the development team has proceeded with other games rather than continuing to expand the first. The world created still offers rich soil for storytelling.
Unexplored Lore: The majority of the key characters in the world did not appear in the first adventure, and the lore of distant lands remains untapped.
New Narrative Directions: A sequel can follow a similar path as an earlier series, creating a new game in one of those distant worlds to show how the events of the first game affected the greater world.
Story Potential: While the story of Queen Marika and her demigod offspring is complete, the myriad endings of the game as well as the circumstances of the universe offer myriad possibilities for a new hero and a whole new story.
In fact, if the studio were to begin work on a sequel today, the process would likely be a three- to five-year undertaking. But the signs—driven by record-breaking financial success and the director's stated interest in epic fantasy endeavors—are strong that the world will be treated to a return visit.
Is the next fantasy game supposed to be a direct sequel, or another new IP with whatever has been learned from the first one like Elden Ring 2?
