The Long-Awaited Elden Ring: How Many Years in the Making?

It’s been a while since gamers have had a new project from Hidetaka Miyazaki, the renowned video game design mastermind behind popular releases like Dark Souls and Bloodborne. However, with the highly anticipated release of Elden Ring, things are about to change. The game, which has been in development for quite some time, looks like it could be the best RPG of 2022. But, you might wonder, just how long did it take to make the game?

To answer that question, let’s go back to E3 2019, when Elden Ring was first announced to the public. From that point on, news about the project trickled in slowly, but it wasn’t until recently that we learned the game has been in development for over three years. This means the development started way before the public announcement, making it one of the most secret projects in video game history. With so much work put into this game, expectations are at an all-time high. And with Miyazaki’s impressive track record, it’s no surprise that some gamers are eagerly holding their breaths.

Introduction:

Elden Ring is one of the most anticipated games of the year and has been in development for quite some time. Fans eagerly await the release, curious to know how long it took to make. In this article, we explore the history of Elden Ring’s development and how it has taken shape over time.

History of Elden Ring Development:

1. The seeds of Elden Ring:

The story of Elden Ring began in 2017 when George R.R. Martin, the author behind Game of Thrones, met with Hidetaka Miyazaki, the founder of FromSoftware. It was during this meeting that the two creative giants decided to collaborate on a new project, which would be later revealed as Elden Ring.

2. The Beginning of the development:

The development of Elden Ring started in earnest in early 2018, right after the release of Dark Souls Remastered. FromSoftware gathered a team to build the game, and the ideas continued to flow. It was during this time that the game’s world-building and lore began to take shape.

3. Elden Ring’s gameplay design:

Elden Ring’s gameplay takes inspiration from FromSoftware’s previous titles, particularly Dark Souls and Bloodborne, but it aims to be more open-ended. The game’s world design is more extensive, offering players varied paths and multiple ways to approach situations.

4. Collaboration between GRR Martin and Miyazaki:

What followed was a collaboration between two creative minds, Hidetaka Miyazaki and George R.R. Martin. It was widely reported that Martin created the outline and world-building subjects, while Miyazaki was in charge of game design and mechanics. The result is a game with an immersive and deep story and lore.

5. The trailer release:

Elden Ring’s first trailer was revealed in E3 2019 after a year and a half of development. Since then, the release of new trailers and information has kept expectations high.

6. Shifts in FromSoftware’s company structure:

In March 2019, FromSoftware’s parent company, Kadokawa Corporation, merged with several other companies and studios to form a new structure known as Kadokawa Dwango Corporation. It’s unclear how much this may have affected the development of Elden Ring.

7. COVID-19 pandemic delays:

The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the game industry, with many studios shifting their deadlines. Elden Ring’s development was no exception. However, no specific details have been revealed about how COVID-19 affected the development of Elden Ring.

8. The rumored 2021 release date:

It’s rumored that Elden Ring will be released in 2021, though no official release date has been announced. Fans eagerly await the release, and the anticipation has only grown as more information has been released.

9. Speculation About the reason for the delay:

The delay in Elden Ring’s release has led to speculation that the game might be released on both PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 or that the game is receiving additional polishing or development time.

10. Conclusion:

Elden Ring’s development has been a long and fascinating journey. From a chance encounter between two creators to a full-fledged collaboration, Elden Ring’s development has given fans a glimpse into the inner workings of one of the most respected game studios in the world. Despite the game’s long development cycle, fans eagerly anticipate its release and hope that it’s worth the wait.

Section 2: The Development Process of Elden Ring

1. The Conceptualization Phase

Before the actual development of Elden Ring had even begun, there was a significant amount of time dedicated to brainstorming ideas and conceptualizing the game. This phase involved discussions with both Miyazaki and Martin, who collaborated closely with the development team to come up with the game’s general blueprint. According to Miyazaki, it took roughly one year to get a clear idea of what the game would look like.

2. The Pre-Production Phase

Once the general ideas and concepts for Elden Ring had been established, the team moved on to the pre-production phase. In this stage, they began creating prototypes for the game’s combat, exploring the game world, and testing out different game mechanics and features. The pre-production phase took approximately two years.

3. The Production Phase

The bulk of Elden Ring’s development took place during the production phase. This stage involved creating the game’s assets, designing each of the game’s areas and enemies, and polishing the game’s combat mechanics, among other tasks. From start to finish, the production phase took roughly three years.

4. The Post-Production Phase

After the game was mostly completed, the team entered the post-production phase. This phase involved finalizing graphics and sound effects as well as doing extensive testing and debugging. The post-production phase took roughly six months to complete.

5. The Role of George R.R. Martin in the Development Process

One of the unique aspects of Elden Ring’s development was the involvement of George R.R. Martin. According to Miyazaki, Martin’s role was primarily to create the game’s lore and narrative structure. He did not actively contribute to the game’s actual development process.

6. The Difficulty in Developing an Open-World Game

One of the challenges the development team faced was creating an open-world game that felt cohesive and focused. This required a lot of planning and careful design of areas and levels to ensure that they all fit together and felt like a part of the same world.

7. The Importance of Feedback from Playtesters

Throughout the development process, the team relied heavily on feedback from playtesters to identify and address any issues or concerns with the game. They made numerous changes and adjustments based on this feedback to ensure the final product was as polished as possible.

8. The Effect of COVID-19 on the Development Process

Like many other game developers, FromSoftware was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The team had to adjust to remote work and deal with delays due to supply chain disruptions, causing the game’s release to be pushed back.

9. The Trailers and Marketing Campaign

The game’s marketing campaign was highly anticipated, with teasers and trailers released periodically to keep fans excited and engaged. FromSoftware was careful not to give too much away, teasing the game’s themes and concepts without revealing too many details.

10. The Final Stretch and Release

As the game neared completion, the team focused on rigorous testing and optimization to ensure that the final product was as polished as possible. After years of development, Elden Ring is now set to be released in early 2022, and fans are eagerly awaiting the chance to finally play the game for themselves.

Development of Elden Ring: How Long Did it Take?

The Announcement and Early Development

The announcement of Elden Ring at E3 2019 was marked with much excitement, enthusiasm, and anticipation from video game enthusiasts all over the world. Fans were eagerly waiting to hear more updates about the game and its release date. However, Elden Ring’s development had already been in progress for quite some time before the announcement. In actual fact, reports reveal that it took around three and a half years for the game to reach a point where it could be presented before the media and public.

During the initial development stage, Hidetaka Miyazaki (the director and creator of Elden Ring) and George R. R. Martin (the famous writer and mystical world-building mastermind) started working together around the beginning of 2017. However, since Miyazaki was busy with other projects at that time, the development on Elden Ring was paused. It was only after completing the 2019 Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice game development that Miyazaki was able to allocate substantial resources and attention to Elden Ring.

Full-Scale Development

With Miyazaki fully committed to Elden Ring’s development, the game’s speed of progression increased tremendously. Full-scale game development began in the middle of 2019 and continued with great force till 2021. During this time, FromSoftware, the studio behind the game, was laser-focused on developing and polishing the game to perfection. Members from the studio worked tirelessly in bringing various elements to the game, including the storyline, the setting and characters, gameplay mechanics, and more.

Elden Ring’s initial release date in 2020 was unfortunately pushed back due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The delay gave the team more time to work on the final touches of the game. This hiatus only means the game will be better as it gave them the necessary time to focus on everything that needed polishing.

The Technology and Art Design

FromSoftware is known for its outstanding and breathtaking game visuals. Sekiro and Dark Souls series games already have set the benchmark quite high in terms of presentation for contemporary games. With Elden Ring, FromSoftware aimed to take their visual and immersive storytelling to new heights. To enhance the game visuals and the world’s creation, FromSoftware built their game engine to create open-world within the game. Multiple shaders, techs, and lighting artists work shaped the game photorealistic environment. All these intensive artistic and graphical elements in development naturally took considerable time and resources to bring to life.

The Cast and Crew

The development of Elden Ring was not an easy task, and FromSoftware required a talented and experienced team to pull it off. And, sure enough, the studio gathered a talented crew of designers, artists, animators, programmers, writers, and sound designers for the massive project. The members of the team had previous experience working on big-name games such as Game of Thrones, Dark Souls, and Sekiro. With this experience, the game creators were equipped to deliver Elden Ring with the same level of intensity and delivery quality as their previous games.

The Public Reaction and Hype

Before being released, Elden Ring was already hyped to be one of the most anticipated games of 2022. Fans of the Souls-like genre had been waiting for experience the latest game from Hidetaka Miyazaki. The announcements of trailer and other promotional materials only increase the hype. As more information became public, fans were in awe of the striking visuals, vibrant character casting, and the edge-of-your-seat gameplay that the game was to include. Naturally, such overwhelming expectations and hype adds the pressure to the game makers to deliver an excellent finished product and made its creation a crucial but demanding task. Finally, after years of waiting and anticipation, fans had a date to look forward to.

In conclusion, Elden Ring’s development took around 4 years from its initial concept in early 2017 to its scheduled release date in February 2022. The development process took longer than expected, largely due to the visual and artistic factors, as well as the pandemic-induced developments. However, the extra development time will ultimately result in a polished, exciting, and better overall game for fans to eagerly await.

Saddle up and Farewell

And that’s all for today folks! We hope you’ve enjoyed learning about the development timeline of Elden Ring and we’ll see you next time for more exciting gaming news. In the meantime, don’t forget to saddle up and ride off into the sunset with your favorite game controller. Thanks for reading, and we’ll catch you later!