Why FromSoftware fans are fine with chasing trends Elden Ring: Nightreign

When Elden Ring: Nightreign was first revealed at The Game Awards there was a lot of hype at first, as fans thought they were getting a possible sequel to the 2022 hit, and then there was some skepticism as more details were revealed. I was incredibly unsure of this premise at first, thinking it could be FromSoftware’s first major misstep after a whole series of incredible releases. However, after playing the game (video preview and thoughts below), I feel a lot calmer about the existence of Elden Ring: Nightreign.

This is a feeling shared by many. It is important to note that no one is claiming that this game will be perfect after a network test and some previews. I still have some issues with it, but many fans are going to wait until the full release before making their final judgments. Some have pointed out that this is rather hypocritical of gamers, as if another studio had made a battle royale/roguelike format of a successful title, they would be chewed out for it.

I won’t pretend that much of the online gaming community doesn’t have a soft spot for FromSoftware. It is the golden goose of the current gaming era if ever there was one, but that reputation doesn’t just come out of nowhere. It is something that has been consistently built, with the pressure piling up with each new release.

There is a level of trust FromSoftware players place in the studio that is hard to find elsewhere these days. That’s why the developer can charge £35 for a DLC, or make a game that sounds like a very ambitious mod on paper (and in some ways plays that way) and not face a huge amount of backlash. At a time when games that are destined to succeed fall flat on their face time after time, trust in a studio is something that is far more easily taken away than gained. The pre-eminence FromSoftware has created with titles like the original Elden Ring, Bloodborne and the Dark Souls trilogy lets people know they are not being fooled.

Because on the other hand, even if this is nothing more than a way to make a quick buck, you can be sure that faith will be broken in the future. As mentioned earlier, FromSoftware is well aware of the pressure on its shoulders, and its fans can acknowledge that as well, which means there is once again a sense that neither party wants to hurt the other.

It may sound like floundering fanboying, but when looking at why something like Elden Ring: Nightreign is received with cheers instead of boos, it’s important to remember that comparing this release to another studio chasing a trend will do very little to influence fans’ minds. Gaming is a subjective medium, and if we have learned anything in recent years, it is that more and more gamers want their voices heard. Online, there are huge communities dedicated to discussing every little tease FromSoftware may or may not have made, which shows the dedication of these fans. That dedication, that hope that each new game will be better than the last, can lead people to be unfair with their criticisms of FromSoftware’s games, but to say that that is the main reason why people don’t reject Nightreign would be far too short a summary.

Instead, we should just acknowledge the star power of this studio. In the same way you would always root for your favorite wrestler or comic book character as a kid, you don’t become a hater as soon as something seems wrong, even though it might initially set off some alarm bells. We still have a few months until Elden Ring: Nightreign releases, and in that time we probably won’t find out much. But when the reviews come in, we’ll see how FromSoftware did with this experimental release. Maybe they have rewarded the faith that fans have, maybe not, but the fact is that faith will remain for a long time, even if Nightreign is not exactly what people had hoped for. This is a spin-off, the garlic bread left on the table as we wait for our main course, which will likely be the next major single-player RPG the studio is working on. For its price, its reliance on a winning gameplay formula and more, it has the thumbs up for now, and while it’s true that gamers would have been sterner for this experiment from another studio, this is their precious FromSoftware. For better or worse, that’s up to you.