The Lands Between is entering a climactic era, at least when it comes to video games, as Elden Ring is receiving what will likely be its last release in 2026, with the franchise continuing on in other forms of media.
Unlike most video game companies, FromSoftware isn’t interested in creating franchises with endless entries. It’s very likely that there will never be sequels to Demon’s Souls, Bloodborne or Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. FromSoftware is more interested in moving onto fresh ideas, and leaving fans with more questions than answers, rather than pumping out sequels.
Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition Finally Launches In 2026
Elden Ring might have launched in 2022, but it’s getting one more highly-anticipated release in 2026. FromSoftware announced that Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition is coming to Nintendo Switch 2 on August 28, 2026, with people who own the game on existing systems able to purchase it as a digital upgrade.
Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition comes with the base game, the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, and a few pieces of new content, including two starting classes and changeable skins for Torrent. The new content isn’t going to be too exciting for people who have already finished the game, as the main draw is being able to play it on Nintendo’s new system, especially those who missed it the first time around.
While many companies love putting out updates for existing games on new hardware, that isn’t true of FromSoftware. Just ask the Bloodborne fans who have been waiting for a PS5 upgrade all these years. This means there’s no guarantee that Elden Ring will get an upgrade when the PS6 and Project Helix launch, meaning that Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition could be the last version ever released.
Elden Ring Is Going On Hold Until The Movie
Elden Ring is one of FromSoftware’s biggest franchises of all time, which means there’s more pressure than normal to make a sequel for it. While Elden Ring 2 hasn’t been announced, there is a live-action movie on the way, and unlike many video game film projects that languish in development hell for years, Elden Ring has started filming.
The leaked footage of the Elden Ring movie that has made its way online suggests that it’s a prequel, showing the Lands Between before the player character wakes for the first time. If the Elden Ring movie is a hit, then there will be a tremendous amount of pressure from publishers for FromSoftware to make a new Elden Ring game.
FromSoftware has a lot more clout than other studios, and if Miyazaki says Elden Ring is done, then there’s little that can be done to deter him. If the Elden Ring movie is a hit, then it’s going to attract more eyes to the game, but the Tarnished Edition could well be the final piece of gaming media associated with the Lands Between.
Elden Ring
- Released
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February 25, 2022
- ESRB
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M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
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From Software
- Publisher(s)
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Bandai Namco Entertainment, From Software
- Engine
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Proprietary