Hidetaka Miyazaki and George R.R. Martin’s upcomingElden Ringis one of the most hotly-anticipated games in recent years. After almost two years of silence, FromSoftware finally revealed a new look atElden Ringat this year’s Summer Game Fest, which has put a lot of things into perspective.
There’s a lot of things to unpack from the trailer, but the fact that fans already knew a lot about the game owing to prior leaks. Whether it was the open-world-esque design hinted at previously, or the leaked trailer that came out prior, a lot of the information shown inElden Ring’s gameplay trailer aligned with several leaks prior.
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Elden Ring’s Open-Field Design
Elden Ring’s biggest feature is undoubtedly its “open field” world design. Game director Hidetaka Miyazaki has toutedthe open-field concept to be an integral part of the game. Comparisons toShadow of the Colossusformed the framework for most leaks and speculations, which suggested the concept to be an openly explorable area on horseback, which would house the main dungeons and castles in a structure similar toZelda: Breath of the Wild.
To not much surprise, most leaks and rumors regarding the open field world design turned out to be accurate.Horseback riding is mostly confirmed to be an integral part of exploration, with the trailer showcasing horse gallops providing access to areas that might otherwise be unexplorable. There’s still some air of mystery regarding the relationship of the horse and the player, but ifShadow of the Colossuscomparisons is anything to go by, it should entail a lot more than simple traversal.
Traditional Souls Classes
The Souls games are known for their unique approach towards RPG classes. Unlike most RPGs where choosing a class can lock a player out of certain gear and builds, classes in Souls games are just a matter of starting stats. These can be freely upgraded later down the line, which allows players to pursue some absolutely creative builds for PvP.
After ditching the signature progression forSekiro: Shadows Die Twice, leaks and rumors suggested thereturn of traditional classes inElden Ring. The leaked trailer forElden Ringshowed many different builds with notable ones being a stealthy thief, a mage, and what looked to be a high dex warrior. Many of these same classes and more can be seen inElden Ring’s official traileras well, which more or less confirms the return of these classes. Bandai Namco’s website forElden Ringlater on confirmed that customizable classes are coming to the game, so expect to see more diverse builds as the game nears release.
Online Elements In Elden Ring
Much like theSoulsgames that came before, many fans expectedElden Ringto include online PvP and co-op elements after2019’sSekiro: Shadows Die Twiceskipped on them for a strictly singleplayer experience. A notable leaker by the name of Omnipotent revealed that these elements would be making a return inElden Ring, which also turned out to be true. The latest trailer shows online co-op play with what seems to beElden Ring’s version of summoned phantoms, and it’s fair to expect invasion and PvP returning as well.
Release Dates
Contrary to what many might expect, most of the prominentElden Ringleaks and rumors were indeed correct to a certain degree. Release dates were a mixed bag in a similar fashion, with many believingElden Ringto drop this year. Of course, all such speculation and alleged leaks were denied when Bandai Namco announced thatElden Ringwouldn’t release before 2022. Others whopredicted a March 2022 or 2023 releasewere also proved wrong.Elden Ringreleases early next year, far earlier than many might’ve expected.
Elden Ringlaunches June 04, 2025 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
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