With itsShadow of the ErdtreeDLC out and gathering praise, the age ofElden Ringlooks to be drawing to a close.FromSoftware’s latest Soulslike action-RPG has proven to be a massive hit, drawing praise from across the gaming industry and quickly becoming the Japanese developer’s best-selling game by a wide margin. AfterFromSoftwaremade a name for itself in the AAA space with theDark Soulstrilogy,Elden Ringmerged everything that made its predecessors great with an open-world format.Elden Ring’s resulting success is fittingly proportional to its impressively large scope.
That being said, FromSoftware can’t afford to dwell onElden Ringfor much longer and has likely moved on to its future projects. No one knows what those are right now, and it’s up in the air whether some could be revealed by the end of 2024. Rumors abound regarding apotentialArmored Core 6expansionand another, smaller Soulslike being in production, and the latter is likely the case. However, just because FromSoftware is dipping back into its main moneymaker genre doesn’t mean it will, or should, be anything likeElden Ring.
FromSoftware Must Focus On Smaller Projects After Elden Ring
In an interview with The Guardian in June 2024,Elden Ringdirector and FromSoftware president Hidetaka Miyazaki commented thatElden Ringrepresented the limitof what the studio could currently achieve, and future projects would need to be scaled down. Miyazaki believed that having multiple smaller projects led by younger talent would be the best direction for FromSoftware, and chances are that even current projects headed by veteran staff are smaller thanElden Ring. If FromSoftware makes another massive open-world Soulslike, it won’t be for a while, but it has plenty of alternatives in the meantime.
Fans May See More Soulslikes Like Bloodborne and Sekiro
FromSoftware has made plenty of different games across its lifetime, and that extends into its post-Demon’s Soulsera too.BloodborneandSekirowere an experimental Soulslikeand a Souls-adjacent action game, respectively, and broke up the studio’s release schedule likeArmored Core 6recently did betweenElden Ringand its DLC. Leaving both behind means now is the perfect time for more modestly-scoped but unusual projects, and another Soulslike in that shape has more benefits than just being cheaper and quicker to produce.
Variety Is Vital For FromSoftware’s Souls Games
Demon’s Souls,Dark Souls, andElden Ringhave established FromSoftware as a master of dark fantasy epics, which is fitting given the studio’s start with theKing’s Fieldfranchise. However, it has a lot more range than that, and with all eyes on it afterElden Ring, it needs to prove that with a new game. To keep its Souls output from feeling repetitive, the next Soulslike that FromSoftware makes should attempt a considerably differentsetting and narrative genre likeBloodborneandSekirodid. Experimentation will only diversify FromSoftware’s Souls portfolio, permitting it and its imitators to branch out even further in the future.
FromSoftware Can Afford To Get Weird With A Smaller Soulslike
Considerably different settings and themes could take a Souls game made with FromSoftware’s eye for detail in plenty of different directions. Just on a broad conceptual level, the resulting game could beFromSoftware’s first sci-fi Soulslike, either in a grungy terrestrial future or in outer space. It could tackle undersea exploration, an interconnected mess of abandoned towers or skyscrapers, a modern war-torn countryside, or period pieces set in all manner of places and times. There are no narrative limits forFromSoftware’s next Souls game afterElden Ring, and the developers should take full advantage of the freedom their situation affords them.
