Nightreign Could Be A Sign That FromSoftware Won't Make Another Game Like Elden Ring

Although FromSoftware announced that there wouldn't be a direct sequel to 2022's Game of the Year, it did say that there would be more projects with the IP, with Elden Ring Nightreignbeing an example of one of these projects. FromSoftware's president, Hidetaka Miyazaki, also stated that he would not be in charge of all the projects coming out of the studio, with Junya Ishizaki taking charge of Nightreign. This is similar to how Masaru Yamamura was made the director of Armored Core 6, and it seems that FromSoftware is more ready to trust the vision of other directors.

With all the new projects reportedly on the horizon, beginning with Elden Ring Nightreign, FromSoftware seems to be actively growing as a developer, with even more games being trusted to other directors, despite how valued Miyazaki's vision is to fans of the studio. Many of these directors are taking charge of projects for the first time, having worked on titles directed by Miyazaki in the past. While it is exciting to get more variety and different visions from FromSoftware, it could mean that fans might not get what they want for a while.

Nightreign Isn't Elden Ring 2

It Is A Smaller Scale Spin-Off With Exciting Ideas

When it was first revealed at the 2024 Game Awards, there was a lot of confusion about what Nightreign actually is. It isn't Elden Ring 2, another grand, open-world adventure with hundreds of hours worth of content. Instead, Nightreign is an experimental, roguelite title that seems to be on a much smaller scale and could mean that there won't be another project like Elden Ring for a while. In an interview with GameWatch in December, Miyazaki stated plainly that a second Elden Ring wasn't in development, although more would be done with the IP.

Miyazaki became the president of FromSoftware in 2014, with the company's founder, Naotoshi Zin, remaining as an advisor.

It seems that Miyazaki wasn't lying, given that Nightreign was announced less than a month later. This also verifies Miyazaki stating that he wouldn't be in charge of all the projects, since he was only involved in the initial concept stages of Nightreign; however, he is directing some projects which he has yet to reveal. These could be anything from new IPs to a Dark Souls or Sekiro sequel, but it is clear that Elden Ring 2 isn't on the cards, and Nightreign is the only title players will get from the Lands Between for a while.

That being said, it isn't known if Nightreign even calls its main part of the world the Lands Between, given that it takes place in an alternate reality where a lot of things are different. For one, Limgrave is known as Limveld and characters from the Dark Souls series are running around Nightreign to cause havoc like it's the 2010s. It seems to be a title where anything goes and will likely have no effect on the main, canon timeline of Elden Ring, meaning that the franchise's IP is being used, but the world established by the first game remains untouched.

FromSoftware Might Not Go As Big As Elden Ring Again

Elden Ring Was A Massive Undertaking

Characters from Elden Ring and Elden Ring Nightreign.

Miyazaki talked in depth about the sheer volume of both Elden Ring and its DLC, the excellent Shadow of the Erdtree, which was the biggest challenge for both. He stated that it was necessary to give the game the true sense of adventure he wanted out of it, as well as include enough unknown elements for exploration. The grand size of both the base game and DLC were also planned, according to Miyazaki, rather than a project that got out of hand as the development went on. It was a problem that the studio knowingly wanted to tackle.

Although the size of a game, Miyazaki mentioned that Shadow of the Erdtree was always destined to be a DLC and the idea of making it its own game hadn't occurred to him.

That being said, something the size of Elden Ring and its grand sense of adventure might not be seen by FromSoftware for a while. The interviewer from GameWatch mentioned that Shadow of the Erdtree, paired with the base game, seemed like an ending to the series. Miyazaki didn't disagree here, and while he didn't agree either, the lack of sequels made by FromSoftware, other than the Dark Souls series, could indicate that Elden Ring 2 won't be happening, at least for a long time, since the studio is busy with other projects.

George R. R. Martin wasn't involved with Nightreign, as confirmed in Junya Ishizaki's interview with IGN, and wasn't consulted on Shadow of the Erdtree either, with his old notes used for the lore of the DLC. It seems that Martin hasn't been involved with FromSoftware for a while, and his lacking involvement might mean that Elden Ring 2 might not be possible even if Miyazaki wanted to make it. It doesn't help that Martin is occupied with a book he can't finish and more Game of Thrones spin-off shows than he can shake a stick at.

FromSoftware Could Go Back To Basics For New Projects

There's No Telling What The New Projects Could Be

Sekiro next to the Malenia from Elden Ring.

With many new projects on the horizon, FromSoftware might not have the facilities to create a game with the scale of Elden Ring, even if it wanted to make a new IP that isn't Elden Ring 2, and could go back to basics with these new titles. This could mean reviving an abandoned franchise, similar to what was done with Armored Core, or even making an Armored Core 7 after it got an episode in Amazon Prime Video's Secret Level. Armored Core 6 was a great game and showed that FromSoftware is more than just its Soulsborne titles.

Regarding Soulsborne games, FromSoftware could go back to the more Metroidvania-style map design while upping the ante with the boss fights again, since that was a common complaint of Elden Ring when comparing it to something like Sekiro or Dark Souls 3. In that vein, it could make a sequel to any of its series, although this seems unlikely given Dark Souls is the only Soulsborne game with a sequel. A new Soulsborne IP with winding, connecting maps on a smaller scale to Elden Ring seems much more likely.

After the grand undertaking that was the development of Elden Ring and Shadow of the Erdtree, it makes sense that FromSoftware is experimenting and dipping its toes into many new projects. Although a strange choice on paper, making Elden Ring Nightreign could be a sign of what is to come from the legendary studio, entering a testing phase to see what will stick and what won't. Elden Ring Nightreign's speed and traversal could see a return in a new Soulsborne title, which could evolve the formula and keep it from getting old.

Sources: GameWatch, Bandai Namco Entertainment America/YouTube, IGN