How Long Did it Take to Make the Masterpiece That is Elden Ring? Almost 5 Years of Ambitious Development
As a hardcore fan who eagerly awaited its release for years, I can confirm Elden Ring was absolutely worth the nearly 5 year wait. This open-world Soulsborne masterpiece needed extra development time to fully achieve its grand vision.
Tracing Elden Ring‘s Journey from Concept to Launch
Let‘s break down the major milestones over Elden Ring‘s lifetime in development:
- April 2017 – With Dark Souls III‘s DLC wrapped up, FromSoftware begins working on Elden Ring
- June 2019 – Elden Ring formally revealed at E3 2019 with an epic trailer
- March 2020 – COVID-19 pandemic impacts development timeline
- January 2022 – Elden Ring goes gold, signalling content completion
- February 25th, 2022 – Release day finally arrives!
So in total, Elden Ring was brewing in the minds of Hidetaka Miyazaki and George R.R. Martin for 4 years and 10 months prior to launch.
Here‘s a quick timeline summarizing key events:
| Date | Development Milestone |
|---|---|
| April 2017 | Start of development |
| June 2019 | Game revealed at E3 |
| March 2020 | COVID-19 delays progress |
| January 2022 | Goes gold after years of work |
| February 25, 2022 | Elden Ring releases worldwide |
As you can see, while formal development began in 2017, the grand ideas underpinning Elden Ring were churning for over 5 years across two gaming generations.
Why Did Ambitious Elden Ring Take So Long to Create?
Based on my industry analysis and personal speculation as an hardcore fan, here are 5 key reasons Elden Ring needed an extended production cycle:
1. Transitioning to Open World Design
While the Soulsborne franchise revolutionized action RPGs, Elden Ring represented FromSoftware‘s first open world game. Moving from intricate linear levels to a vast interconnected map like Elden Ring‘s Lands Between required rethinking world and game design from scratch. No wonder it took Miyazaki and team longer to nail down this new open format.
2. Crafting an EPIC Fantasy Universe
Collaborating with Game of Thrones‘ creator George R.R Martin and conceiving a sprawling mythology worthy of Martin‘s pedigree was an underttaking requiring years of iteration. Every location and character in the Lands Between brims with meticulous lore and worldbuilding. This depth stems from half a decade refining Elden Ring‘s universe.
3. Composing a Sprawling Orchestral Soundtrack
With 4 hours of sweeping instrumental music, Elden Ring‘s behemoth of a soundtrack needed special attention over years in development. Composer Yuka Kitamura returned from previous FromSoftware games to help achieve Miyazaki‘s grand musical vision.
4. Refining Signature FromSoftware Gameplay at Scale
Elden Ring maintains the series‘ trademark precise action combat and challenging boss battles, now expanded into an open world brimming with dungeons. Balancing gameplay, abilities, boss patterns, and player freedom at this scale undoubtedly added development time.
5. Pressure to Meet Expectations Post-Game of Thrones
As the first major fantasy IP from George R.R Martin after Game of Thrones‘ conclusion, anticipation for Elden Ring reached meteoric levels. This external pressure, coupled with FromSoftware‘s drive to eclipse past Soulsborne titles, contributed to the game‘s long production cycle.
Development Duration Comparison
To provide context, let‘s examine how long other landmark open world games took to develop:
| Game | Development Time |
|---|---|
| Elden Ring | 4 years, 10 months |
| The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild | 5 years exactly |
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 8 years |
| Grand Theft Auto V | 5 years |
While not as extreme as Rockstar‘s crunch culture, FromSoftware devoted comparable time to perfecting Elden Ring‘s open world formula.
So Did Elden Ring Justify Its Nearly 5 Year Development?
In my opinion as a passionate and discerning gamer: absolutely! While impatient fans eargerly awaited Elden Ring‘s launch for half a decade, the unanimous critical acclaim and fan euphoria post-release proves FromSoftware‘s masterpiece was worth the extended wait.
Let‘s examine Elden Ring‘s phenomenal reception by the numbers:
- Metacritic Score: 96 average across 116 critic reviews
- Steam Review Score: Overwhelmingly Positive from over 400,000 owners
- Game Awards: Won Game of Year + multiple accolades
- Sales Milestones: Sold over 20 million copies in 1 year
Not only is Elden Ring the highest rated Soulsborne game ever, it‘s one of the best reviewed and top selling video games in recent memory. This resounding success results directly from FromSoftware‘s determination over years transforming their vision into an interactive fantasy epic for the ages.
While development cycles beyond half a decade are rare in the games industry, perhaps we need more studios adopting FromSoftware‘s meticulous patience to unlock gaming‘s full artistic potential. Obviously easier said than done in our fast-paced entertainment landscape!
What do you think on Elden Ring‘s development time based on its wide acclaim? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
