Elden Ring Was Originally Going To Be Much Smaller
Although Elden Ring was always destined to be FromSoftware's biggest outing, Director Miyazaki Hidetaka confirms it grew from much smaller roots.
11th Mar 2022 10:36
Images via FromSoftware
Elden Ring Was Originally Going To Be Much Smaller
Although Elden Ring was always destined to be FromSoftware's biggest outing, Director Miyazaki Hidetaka confirms it grew from much smaller roots.
11th Mar 2022 10:36
Images via FromSoftware
If you're anything like us, you're a battle-worn and emotionally-wrecked Tarnished who is lost somewhere in the abyss of the Lands Between. Even as speedrunners manage to complete Elden Ring in less than an hour, the average player is trekking across this fantasy domain with your loyal steed, Torrent.
We always knew Elden Ring was going to be the biggest FromSoftware game yet - making Bloodborne's Yharnam look like the Stranded Graveyard tutorial. However, we don't think many realised just how big this realm was going to be and just how long it was going to take to uncover the entire Elden Ring map. It turns out, neither did those at the top.
Was Elden Ring Supposed To Be Smaller?
Over the years, FromSoft has become known as the tyrannical overlord of the Souls-like genre, and although games like Respawn's Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order have dabbled in the genre, we always come back to the OG developer. Elden Ring feels like a labour of love that's taken years to painstakingly craft. And talking recently Game Director, Miyazaki Hidetaka, explained how Elden Ring grew from a Golden Seed into the Erdtree it is today.
In an interview with Frontline, Hidetaka admitted that plans for the Lands Between's size quickly ballooned beyond what the developer originally had in mind. Hidetaka said that the growing ranks of FromSoftware staff are part of what led to the game's mammoth size, with "more excellent members" being entrusted with various things. Still, Hidetaka praised his staff for rising to the challenge.
When the site pushed on whether the colossal size of Elden Ring led to problems with development, Hidetaka confessed that it meant delegation was more common than usual. Thankfully, Hidetaka said he made sure that when passing out jobs, he shared his "logic, philosophies, and thought processes" more than ever before. Whatever he did, it worked.
Is Elden Ring Too Big?
Much like complaints of Elden Ring being "too hard", the debate over it being "too big" is taking up available airtime right now. We don't think anyone was ever going to be able to call Elden Ring too small, but if Hidetaka had gone down the more conservative route, there's sure to be those that would criticise this open-world for not being open enough.
Thankfully, your spectral steed isn't just a knock-off of Zelda's Epona. Hidetaka concluded that Torrent soon became a necessary part of Elden Ring, and with this in mind, he made sure your trusty sidekick got just as much work as the rest of the game. Namely, FromSoftware wanted to make Elden Ring fun, and more than just having imaginative ways to die. From the Atlas Plateau to Siofra River, Dragonbarrow to the Lake of Rot, most of us have only just scratched the surface of this sprawling epic.
Struggling in the Lands Between? Don't worry, you're not the only one, check out our guide to the best Elden Ring classes.
About The Author
Tom Chapman
Tom is Trending News Editor at GGRecon, with an NCTJ qualification in Broadcast Journalism and over seven years of experience writing about film, gaming, and television. With bylines at IGN, Digital Spy, Den of Geek, and more, Tom’s love of horror means he's well-versed in all things Resident Evil, with aspirations to be the next Chris Redfield.
