George R.R. Martin responds to Elden Ring reviews

What you need to know

• Game of Thrones creator and Elden Ring writer, George R.R. Martin, has responded to rave views following the title's launch on Friday.
• Martin stated he's "honored" to have worked on the project, adding "almost all the credit should go to Hidetaka Miyazaki and his astonishing team."

George R.R. Martin has broken the silence on the release of Elden Ring, stating recent reviews are "music to the ears" after his contributions to the title. The writer, best known for the novels adapted into Game of Thrones, has broken his silence on the project, stating he's "honored" to have met and worked with the FromSoftware team.

Elden Ring launched on Feb. 25, with rave reviews positioning the action RPG among the best-rated video games of all time. Developed by FromSoftware, best known for Dark Souls and Bloodborne, the project enlisted aid from the revered novelist in building its fantasy world. Working with director Hidetaka Miyazaki, Martin collaborated on Elden Ring's worldbuilding, establishing the foundations for its acclaimed lore.

"The wait is over. Years in the making, ELDEN RING was released last week, and has been taking the gaming world by storm. But don't listen to me. From Software brought me on to do their worldbuilding, so I can hardly pretend to be objective," Martin stated in a blog post. He stated the reception was "music to the ears," linking to several reviews of the title.

"Of course, almost all the credit should go to Hidetaka Miyazaki and his astonishing team of games designers who have been laboring on this game for half a decade or more, determined to create the best videogame ever."

"I am honored to have met them and worked with them, and to have have played a part, however small, in creating this fantastic world and making ELDEN RING the landmark megahit that it is."

Elden Ring was first revealed as a collaboration between the duo, although it left unanswered questions over the author's role in the project. Martin is now understood to have worked on the backstory, placing restrictions on his work, allowing Miyazaki to head focus on the actual script.

"In our games, the story must always serve the player experience," Miyazaki told The New Yorker. "If [Martin] had written the game's story, I would have worried that we might have to drift from that. I wanted him to be able to write freely and not to feel restrained by some obscure mechanic that might have to change in development."

Elden Ring is now available on consoles and PCs, starting at $60. While its steep learning curve isn't for anyone, check our Elden Ring beginners guide for help getting started.