Elden Ring, which was announced at E3 and revealed slightly before E3 and more or less suggested even before that, is a collaboration between Dark Souls developer From Software and fantasy author George R.R. Martin. At E3, we only got a small teaser about of the game and what amounts to some concept art and overlayed narration, but Miyazaki did speak to IGN about the game during the event.

On the subject of game style, not that it will come as a galloping shock to anyone, but Miyazaki likens Elden Ring to Dark Souls. However, unlike the other games in which this would also be true like Bloodborne, Miyazaki considers this one to be an evolution of the formula for the first time.

“With a larger world, new systems and action mechanics inevitably become necessary,” Miyazaki told IGN. “In that sense, I think that Elden Ring is a more natural evolution of Dark Souls.”

The director goes on to talk about the vastness environments and say the mechanics are being built around that new style of world exploration. As such, the protagonist will traverse the world on horseback, as the original rumor suggested. There will also be combat on horseback, which will definitely be interesting considering the From Software style of more methodical combat.

While this is quite the change for the Souls formula, it does not mean it will suddenly become a living world filled with vibrancy and people everywhere.

“Villages will be the dark dungeon-like ruins that you have come to expect from us,” Miyazaki said to IGN. “Creating a more open game is a big challenge for us. If we were to add towns on top of that, it would become a bit too much, so we decided to create an open-world-style game focused on what we are best at.”

As for the collaboration with Martin, Miyazaki explained that it came from the director being a big fan of Martin’s novels and the Game of Thrones TV show. Martin, who wrote the mythology for Elden Ring and essentially established the world building, essentially prepared a book for Miyazaki to read establishing the world of Elden Ring. That said, he doesn’t necessarily think it should be novelized and released.

“A novelization would mean that all the secrets and mystery hidden in our game would be revealed,” Miyazaki said. “From the point of view of a director, I’m not sure if that would be the right thing to do.”

Elden Ring is scheduled for some time in 2020 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.

[Source: IGN]