Fear Not, The Dark Souls Servers Are Coming Back
Months after the Dark Souls games went... erm... dark, Bandai Namco confirms they're coming back online. It's been 13 years since we first picked up a blade and stepped out into Boletaria with Demon's Souls, but even now, there is still a tonne of us who are glutton for punishment, regularly playing it and its Dark Souls successors.
The Souls-like was officially born in 2009, so it's baffling to think that everything from Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice to Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order fall under this banner, while the likes of God of War (2018) and Hollow Knight have been heavily influenced by FromSoft's seminal work. Remembering how important summons and co-op are, it's no surprise we were peeved when the Dark Souls servers went down earlier this year.
What's Going On With Souls Servers?
In January this year, a security breach in the Souls servers meant it was possible for hackers to remotely gain access to your computer. More than just accessing someone's computer, there was the potential that hackers could also rifle through your financials. Seeing the inevitable sh*tshow heading its way, Bandai Namco shut down the servers for Dark Souls, Dark Souls 2, and Dark Souls 3 on PC. That was over 100 days ago.
Posting on the Dark Souls 3 subreddit, one gamer enquired when/if the servers will be back online. Giving hope to us all, u/Relevant-Heart-1751 shared an exchange between them and Bandai Namco customer service, with the latter saying, "I'm happy to confirm the developers are working on resolving the issue in question and re-launching the Dark Souls servers on PC as soon as possible."
Others were pleased that devs are determined to get things back online, especially as especially Dark Souls is getting pretty old in gaming terms. However, one critic mused: "It's not like they would say it isn't coming back. That would be terrible for their sales. So this means nothing. Never trust anything without a specific date being given." Another understood the delay and added: "Rebuilding servers while patching a new game while probably working on another game. I'm not surprised it is taking so long. From has a lot on their plate rn."
When Will The Souls Servers Return?
That's just it though, the FromSoft team is pretty busy right now with a little game you might've heard of. Since its release in February, Elden Ring has dominated the gaming scene and has already taken the title of one of the best video games of all time. With continuous updates and plenty of whispers about a full-blown DLC, the credentials of the Souls games sadly don't mean they're a top priority right now.
Unfortunately, there's still no release window on when we'll be jumping back into Dark Souls servers. The representative concluded: "For the moment, we do not have an estimate of when this is expected to happen." We're encouraged to follow the publisher on social media for any updates. It's a small glimmer of hope poking out of the darkness of Dark Souls, but is it enough?