Elden Ring developer FromSoftware discusses what's coming next, and it's not "Elden Ring 2"

Elden Ring
Elden Ring is one of the most popular and successful Xbox and Windows games of all time. (Image credit: Windows Central)

What you need to know

  • FromSoftware is the legendary arthouse behind Elden Ring, Dark Souls, Sekiro, Armored Core, and various other successful Xbox and Windows PC games.
  • In a new interview, FromSoftware lead Hidetaka Miyazaki discussed a variety of topics, including what's next for the developer.
  • It sounds as though we're not getting a follow up to Elden Ring any time soon, but there's a "variety" of other games in multiple genres in development.

There are few game developers out there as celebrated and beloved as FromSoftware today. The studio behind Elden Ring is one of the most decorated of recent times, continuing a relentless winning streak spanning literal decades. Its Demon's Souls, Bloodborne, and Dark Souls games defined an entire genre of homages and copycats alike, and culminated in the masterful Elden Ring, which brought the genre well and truly into the mass mainstream.

Many fans are eagerly awaiting what might be next for the studio, which counted the Elden Ring expansion Shadow of the Erdtree and the mech action game Armored Core VI among its recent major wins. Elden Ring remains among the most highly rated games on Xbox and Windows PCs, and could become the first "DLC" to win the coveted "Game of the Year" at Geoff Keighley's 2025 Game Awards, after the rules were changed specifically for the game.

You might expect most studios to dive right into a sequel to capitalize on Elden Ring and Shadow of the Erdtree's success. But studio lead Hidetaka Miyazaki has other plans.

Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon promotional screenshot

The fantastic Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon could potentially see a sequel before Elden Ring. (Image credit: Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc.)

In a new interview in Game Watch (via the awesome @Okami13_), Miyazaki discussed a range of topics, paraphrased via Japanese with Microsoft Copilot. Miyazaki remarked that achieving a large scale for Shadow of the Erdtree was important to continue Elden Ring's sense of adventure, alongside exploring elements of the unknown. Although he conceded that the developers learned new things they will take forward into their next titles.

What could that next title be? Not Elden Ring 2, at least. "At the moment, we are not considering Elden Ring 2. However, that's not to infer that we won't continue developing the Elden Ring IP."

Miyazaki elaborated that FromSoftware is already working on multiple projects across a variety of genres. Miyazaki noted that not all of those titles will be directed by him directly. Armored Core VI was directed by Masaru Yamamura for example, and Miyazaki expressed interest in having greater involvement in getting the franchise to the next level in another previous interview.

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Bloodborne 2? Sekiro 2? Armored Core 7?! NINJA BLADE 2?!

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice screenshot

Sekiro was a brutally tough and hauntingly beautiful successor to the mighty Tenchu franchise of yore.

The sky is well and truly the limit for FromSoftware at this point potentially.

In PlayStation's 30 year anniversary tease, the firm showed a glimpse of Bloodborne with the phrase "persistence" emblazoned across, giving long-suffering fans hope that we could finally see a sequel or remaster to the gothic 2015 classic. Indeed, there are truly so many directions FromSoftware could go in following the success of Elden Ring.

The Dark Souls franchise still has enormous status, even if the franchise has been dormant for some time now. Armored Core has a lot of room to improve and develop to get to the next level. Or what about FromSoftware's oft-forgotten 2009 Xbox exclusive Ninja Blade?! Okay, maybe not that one.

But what is true is that Hidetaka Miyazaki and the team at FromSoftware represent some of the most imaginative and creative minds within the entire games industry. Whether it's a sequel, reboot, remake, or something completely new — I'm immediately confident that it'll be another hit for the storied developer.

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Jez Corden
Executive Editor

Jez Corden is the Executive Editor at Windows Central, focusing primarily on all things Xbox and gaming. Jez is known for breaking exclusive news and analysis as relates to the Microsoft ecosystem while being powered by tea. Follow on Twitter (X) and Threads, and listen to his XB2 Podcast, all about, you guessed it, Xbox!