It may come as a disappointment to Dark Souls fans, but FromSoftware doesn’t currently have plans to release more DLC after Shadow of the Erdtree for Elden Ring. Dark Souls 2 and 3 had a trio of DLC releases before FromSoft moved onto other projects, but the developer is leaving the future of Elden Ring open for now.
“We don’t have any current plans to make a second DLC or a sequel, but we definitely don’t want to snuff out that possibility,” Elden Ring director Hidetaka Miyazaki told IGN. “We think that there could well be something in the future.”
In his answer, Miyazaki mentions a similar comment he made at an E3 presentation in 2015 about the future of the Dark Souls series after the third game. At the time, he said Dark Souls 3 wouldn’t be the end, but that it instead would be a “turning point” for the series and for FromSoft as it was the last game he directed before taking on the role as the company’s president.
Now nine years later, those comments make a lot more sense. FromSoft isn’t just the Dark Souls studio anymore, nor is it just a fantasy action RPG studio: Sekiro and Armored Core 6 deviate from the path that Demon’s Souls started in 2009. Elden Ring surely isn’t going away—FromSoft would be foolish to shelve it now—but it seems like the studio wants to keep its options open. That or it’s keeping a Bloodborne remaster close to its chest.
Shadows of the Erdtree will take place in a new landmass bigger than Elden Ring’s pastoral opening area, Limgrave. It’s said to have over 10 new boss fights, a few of whom may be as hard as Malenia, and plenty of new weapons and gear to find. Nothing about it sounds small, and the trailer teases answers to some of the story’s biggest questions. Elden Ring isn’t going anywhere, but this could be its own turning point before FromSoft spends some time thinking up what’s next.
Shadow of the Erdtree is set to release on June 21.
