Elden Ring trailer leaks online, game release now expected in 2022

The words “Elden Ring” have popped up several times in news stories since Friday. Rumors began swirling that another look at the hotly anticipated collaboration between Game of Thrones creator George R.R. Martin and Dark Souls director Hidetaka Miyazaki was coming soon, supported by quotes from GamesBeat’s Jeff Grub and Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier. These fires were quickly put out by Xbox Games Marketing GM Aaron Greenberg, who told fans there was “nothing coming soon that would feature game announcements or world premieres like this.”

According to another report from VGC, we may know where some of the speculations originated. Short video clips, including grainy footage of new sequences, are circulating across social media. The VGC report mentions delays in the game’s production due to shifting work conditions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, which has also resulted in the delays of many other planned releases. A VGC source on the development team believes it is “unlikely Elden Ring would make it out this year.”

Elden Ring was originally revealed at E3 2019, promising larger environments and horseback combat, advancing some of the mechanics that have become synonymous with the Souls series. The game is planned for release on PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4, although it would not be a stretch to think that Xbox Series and PlayStation 5 versions are in the works as well.