Future of Elden Ring could be changed forever as FromSoftware takes full ownership

The Elden Ring developers FromSoftware have taken full ownership of the IP after the rights were transfered to them by Bandai Namco.

The news may come as a shock to some as the rights to Elden Ring had previously been owned by FromSoftware and Bandai Namco. However, it now appears that after a sizable investment of money from both Sony and Tencent, FromSoftware has been able aquire the rights to the game from Bandai Namco after the publisher transfered them back in April 2023.

It’s surprising, as many players and pundits (ourselves included) expected Elden Ring’s former co-owner and publisher, Bandai Namco, to push for a sequel, especially since Elden Ring was considered one of the most successful games of 2022. However, it would now seem that FromSoftware is in full control of the franchise’s destiny going forward, so it will be interesting to see where it goes from here.

It was reported earlier in 2024 that Tencent was working with Elden Ring on a mobile spin-off game, something that would previously have been very out of character for the Souls developer. Bandai Namco and FromSoftware have collaborated on Souls games for a long time, with Ban Nam being the publisher of all three Dark Souls games prior to Elden Ring.

Sony and FromSoftware also have a history of working together, with the owners of the PlayStation brand serving as publishers for FromSoftware’s other Souls games; Demon’s Souls and Bloodborne. A closer connection between Sony and FromSoft could be great news for Bloodborne fans, who’ve been craving a sequel for years now.

However, it does leave the future of an Elden Ring sequel up in the air somewhat. Although it’s entirely possible that FromSoftware could use Sony or another publisher to pick up those duties, even publishing the sequel themselves potentially. The change also doesn’t fully rule out Bandai Namco as a publisher of Elden Ring 2, although it does make it somewhat unlikely.