Elden Ring, the much anticipated successor to the Souls series from director Hidetaka Miyazaki, written in collaboration with George R.R. Martin, has been delayed to Feb. 25 of 2022. This announcement came from the game’s official Twitter account this morning:
Important message:
ELDEN RING will release on Feb 25, 2022, as the depth & strategic freedom of the game exceeded initial expectations. Thank you for your trust & patience. We look forward to seeing you experience the game in the Closed Network Test in Nov.
The #ELDENRING Team
— ELDEN RING (@ELDENRING) October 18, 2021
And from FromSoftware’s official account:
The release date for ELDEN RING has been changed to Friday, 25th February 2022.
Please accept our sincere apologies for keeping you waiting. Your patience and understanding mean a great deal to us.— FROMSOFTWARE (@fromsoftware_pr) October 18, 2021
Bandai Namco also announced on YouTube that there will be a closed network test in mid-November:
The closed network test will take place over five sessions in three hour windows from Nov. 12 to Nov. 14. Interested players can register here on Bandai Namco’s website by Nov. 1. The Closed Network test will allow selected players to play a portion of the game before it is released to the public.
With FromSoftware’s undoubtedly well-intentioned apology and Elden Ring’s concise explanation that they want to actually finish the game they set out to make, hopefully fans will be excited that they will get to see the creators’ complete vision, rather than get upset by the delay. Especially with Bandai Namco simultaneously offering a chance to see a preview. And with some of us remembering how things went the last time that a George R.R. Martin-related property was rushed by its creators despite being offered ample time by its publisher to finish it properly, certainly no one is overreacting in an entitled toxic way. Right?
Honestly, most of the response I’ve seen on the internet is even-handed and patient, with some people joking about being pained by the delay, though luckily with few explosions of internet rage. This means either the gaming online community is really growing, or the Twitter algorithm has decided to protect me from the worst of humanity in Elden Ring’s replies. The Dying Light Game official account, the developer Cacklefish, and Twitch streamers Lobos Jr and RT Game Daniel all offered support. Then there was also this among the melodramatic comedic responses.
We’re still not entirely sure what exactly Elden Ring is, but we certainly look forward to learning more this November, and finally getting our hands on it next year.