There's More Than One Reason An Elden Ring Sequel Wouldn't Really Work

is FromSoftware's most successful game yet, and an evolution of the Soulsborne formula that the studio pioneered with and — but many of the aspects of that make it what it is also make it much more difficult to develop a sequel for. While could very well be the start of a new franchise for FromSoft, especially considering its massive success, the studio will have to work past some notable roadblocks that weren't present in the trilogy.

With the notable exception of the three games, many of FromSoftware's RPGs have not been direct sequels, with, the original,, and now all being more in the vein of spiritual successors — building on the studio's past work without directly carrying forward the same lore or storylines. and stand as notable exceptions, but the same storytelling aspects that made more conducive to sequels aren't necessarily present in the studio's newest and most popular game.

Elden Ring is a staggeringly large, nearly perfect culmination of everything FromSoftware has developed since the release of Demon's Souls.

Despite and sharing much of the same DNA, doesn't share the aspects of that made it more conducive to direct sequels. The stories of the sequels, especially, are relatively unconnected to what came before them. While there are definite connections to be made, and many direct references to past events (especially in ), both sequels take place after incredibly long time skips, making the events of previous games more like background details than vital knowledge.

The same approach, however, might prove more difficult to pull off in. A core part of the game's narrative is built around the history of the Lands Between, written in collaboration with George R. R. Martin,that heavily informs the present day conflicts of. Unlike in, which presents even many of its most important characters and bosses as remnants of an age long past, many of 's most important figures are still active participants trying to lead the world in a new direction.

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