Ahead of the launch of Shadow of the Erdtree, the first and only expansion to Elden Ring, PC Gamer interviewed game creator and FromSoftware president Hidetaka Miyazaki and asked whether the development team was aware of how many players had to use guides to complete their games, and if it changed anything in their design plans.
Miyazaki said:
Of course players are going to consult guides, and there's going to be a wealth of information on the web and in their communities where they have access to the secrets and the strategies. We expect that. We obviously understand players use guides, but we don't make or plan anything with that as a prerequisite. If anything, we try to cater to the player who is completely blind and wants to go through organically. If they can't do it, then there's some room for improvement on our behalf, and we'd like to try to embrace those players more in the future.
We don't necessarily cater to players who are reading guides as they go. Of course, it's a perfectly valid playstyle, and we respect those players who like to approach it with a guide in hand. We just want to let you know it's not our prerequisite, designing the game in their favor.
You are absolved of the 'sin' from the man himself, then. That said, Miyazaki also believes that everyone who went far enough into Elden Ring to be able to access Shadow of the Erdtree won't have too much problem with the expansion's new obstacles.
We have faith that they will be able to continue, find these secrets, and overcome these challenges.
Shadow of the Erdtree launches is out on Friday, June 21; look forward to our review soon. By the way, FromSoftware just announced that Elden Ring has passed 25 million units sold to date.
About the author: With over two decades of experience in gaming journalism, Alessio Palumbo has led the gaming vertical at Wccftech since August 2015. He started working at a young age for Italian websites like Everyeye.it, Gamestar.it, Nextgame.it, and Multiplayer.it before kickstarting the indie English-language publication Worlds Factory as its founder and Editor in Chief. In the last decade, he has coordinated the overall output of Wccftech's gaming section, managed PR relations, assigned reviews, produced daily news coverage, edited gaming content as needed, and delivered game reviews. Arguably, his trademark content is the long series of exclusive developer interviews that have been cited by Wikipedia and by the biggest news media and gaming publications. His passion for technology also makes him knowledgeable when it comes to gaming hardware and tech. His favorite genres include RPGs, MMORPGs, and action/adventure games.
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