Game of Thrones author George R. R. Martin would probably be quite surprised by how the world of Elden Ring - which he helped developer FromSoftware create a backstory for - actually turned out in the end.
43.8 million player votes later, the winners of the 2025 Steam Awards have been announced, with Hollow Knight: Silksong securing top prize, Game of the Year.
It's been another strange, difficult, and yet somehow also brilliant year for video games in 2025. Triple-A releases have been sparse again, compared to the boom times of old, with a great big GTA 6-shaped hole left in the final few months of the year. And yet once again, every gap left by the established order has been filled twice over with something brilliantly new.
Elden Ring Director Hidetaka Miyazaki has revealed during an interview with Game Informer that much of the game world in the fantasy epic had evolved during development that collaborator George R.R. Martin would be surprised by how it turned out.
The Game of Thrones author helped craft the world and characters of Elden Ring during its planning stages, although these were largely shaped by FromSoftware’s narrative team. As such, Miyazaki-san feels that Martin would be surprised by some of the changes as they were quite significant compared to what was originally planned out.
The Dark Souls creator explained the reason for taking over is because “as a player walks through this world, […] they have a very fragmented understanding of the lore, the surroundings, and the type of monsters, whereas I don’t.” He added that it’s important Elden Ring’s biggest moments “aren’t lost,” which is achieved by bringing “the map and level design” together “to serve as a guide, to help players pick up more information and piece together what they think that world is.”
Publisher Bandai Nasco Entertainment announced in April last year that Elden Ring had reached 30 million shipments and digital sales globally, and in May 2025 received a spinoff in the form of Elden Ring: Nightreign. Elsewhere, a movie adaptation of the franchise is currently in the pipeline with Alex Garland set to direct, who revealed that he provided a 160-page draft script to gain Miyazaki’s approval to helm the film.
Elden Ring was released in February 2022 for PS5, PS4, PC, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox One. You can read our full verdict on the game here.
[Source – Game Informer via GamesRadar]
The post Hidetaka Miyazaki Reckons George R.R. Martin Would Be Surprised How The World Of Elden Ring Evolved From Its Starting Point appeared first on PlayStation Universe.
It was an interesting Advent Calendar this year, from my perspective. My top four games - Arc Raiders, Silksong, Clair Obscur, and Hades 2 - were all highly ranked. And then none of my remaining games made the cut. I guess I should have strategically placed these games higher up for a better chance of making the cut. Bit of gaming the system, you know?
Elden Ring Nightreign's Forsaken Hollows expansion arrives tomorrow, December 4th. Ahead of letting folks dive into Limveld's big hole and try out the new nightfarer classes, FromSoft have lobbed out the customary big patch.
An online co-op mod for very French and very puppety soulslike Lies of P has been released in alpha form. As of writing, it'll let you take on boss battles with a friend and its creators are hoping to offer full multplayer playthroughs similar to Elden Ring's brilliant seamless co-op mod further down the line.
I don't know if I'm allowed to write "dad I'd like to" you know what, even as an acronym, so I won't, but my current prediction for Scholar, the first of two new Nightfarers coming to Elden Ring Nightreign as part of its Forsaken Hollows DLC, is that this is what an alarmingly large number of people will refer to him as. I get it! He's a bit grubby looking, but he's smart because he reads books and stuff. There's multitudes there.
FromSoftware and Bandai Namco have released a new character trailer for the upcoming character for the Elden Ring Nightreign The Forsaken Hollows DLC, the Undertaker. The character’s skills were also revealed in a recent Gamespot video. Her abilities include the Trance skill, which increases the character’s speed at no stamina cost, and increases her combo attack power. Her passive skill “confluence” allows players to use her Ultimate for free if another party member recently used theirs. Lastly, her Ultimate sees her hit enemies with an “uncanny bone” for devastating damage. The Elden Ring Nightreign ‘The Forsaken Hollows’ DLC will launch on December 4. The DLC will include “two additional Nightfarers, one new Shifting Earth, and more.” Elden Ring Nightreign is available now for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC via Steam.
The DLC’s details:
“The Forsaken Hollows” includes two additional Nightfarers, and one new Shifting Earth, and more!
Artbook and Mini Soundtrack
This application allows players to enjoy viewing concept art and listening to in-game music of Elden Ring Nightreign exclusive to the ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN Deluxe Edition and Deluxe Upgrade Pack.
Elden Ring Nightreign details:
In Elden Ring Nightreign, players must make split-second decisions about combat and exploration across a map that can fluctuate with different biomes, weapons, and enemies in order to become stronger, and outrun the encroaching circle of fire to be able to take on terrifying bosses at the end of each day. This culminates on the third day, where if players were successful in surviving the night must take on one of the Nightlords—new bosses for this version. Nightfarers must learn to cooperate to take down these challenges, combining their unique abilities together for an unparalleled experience in the Elden Ring universe. All is not lost for those who fall in defeat. Unsuccessful runs will grant players relics to allow them to customize and upgrade their characters tailored to their personal play styles.
Key Features
Rise Together – Join forces with other players to take on the creeping night and the dangers within featuring three-player cooperative play.
Become a Hero – Take command of uniquely skilled heroes, each possessing their own abilities and distinct flair. While individually powerful, their skills grow even more formidable when united as a team.
Take on the Night – Overcome a relentless environmental threat that sweeps through a land that changes between each game session and defeat the magnificent boss of that night!
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The post Elden Ring Nightreign The Undertaker Character Details Revealed appeared first on Gaming Instincts - Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism.
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The Forsaken Hollows, the forthcoming DLC for Elden Ring spin-off Nightreign, is "definitely a little bit harder" than the main game, its director has admitted.
FromSoftware has released a sweet spread of new statistics for Elden Ring: Nightreign ahead of the Forsaken Hollows DLC later this week. It's revealed many an interesting tidbit, including a reminder Souls fans still love a certain Dark Souls 1 character.
The Xbox business today is pretty unrecognizable from that of 20 years past, which on this week all that time ago was launching the Xbox 360. There's all the changes to the business, a different suite of executives at the top, and an entirely different first-party portfolio, of course - but when I think of the changes, one absence comes to the forefront of my mind: Japan.
