FromSoftware boss Hidetaka Miyazaki has confirmed that Shadow of the Erdtree will be the only expansion released for beloved role-playing game Elden Ring.
As reported by GamesRadar, Miyazaki told Chinese publication Zhihu that, unlike previous FromSoftware titles such as Dark Souls 3, the developer plans to release just one chunk of downloadable content for Elden Ring due to the nature of its open world.
“[Shadow of the Erdtree] is the first and last DLC, and we have no plans to add more content to Elden Ring,” Miyazaki said, via machine translation.
“Elden Ring emphasizes exploration and adventure in a big world. In order to provide such an experience, a vast and huge setting is inevitably needed. Therefore, instead of splitting it into several parts, it was better to simply make one big [expansion]. If they were sold separately, the freedom of exploration and sense of adventure would be reduced.”
Shadow of the Erdtree, which launches June 21, 2024, may not be fans’ final taste of The Lands Between, however, as Miyazaki didn’t shut down the possibility of a full sequel. When asked about the future of the franchise, he commented that FromSoftware deliberately leaves the end of its games open to potential sequels, and it seems Elden Ring will be no exception.
Miyazaki suggested in March 2024 that FromSoftware hadn’t made a decision on a sequel yet, but similarly spoke to the desire to keep its options open. “We don’t want to say this is the end of the Elden Ring saga for now,” he told IGN.
“We said a similar thing at the end of Dark Souls 3. We didn’t want to flatten those possibilities or put a pin in them just at that time. And it’s a similar story with Elden Ring. We don’t want to discourage the possibilities for that. There might be more ideas in the future.”
The success of Elden Ring may encourage FromSoftware to make a sequel, as the game had swelled to a colossal 23 million units sold as of February 2024.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.