It’s not unusual for audiences to get excited about upcoming FromSoftware games, butElden Ring Nightreignappears to be garnering a particularly great deal of attention thanks to its radical spin on the tried-and-true soulslike formula.FromSoftware is definitely trying out something new here, leveraging its tendency for co-op features to create a feature-length, standalone game that could be unlike anything it has put out before.
Elden Ring Nightreignwas announced just weeks afterHidetaka Miyazaki said there were no plans for anElden Ring 2, but that FromSoftware wouldn’t be “denying development of the IP”—an understatement if there ever was one.
Of course, multiplayer games, especially ambitious, cooperative, AAA ones, aren’t a rarity in the modern games market. Wildly popular games likeDestiny 2,Warframe, andFortniteall demonstrate how successful a multiplayer-only, always online title can be, and the fact that many such titles are free-to-play only makes them more accessible, reaching the widest audience. One could be forgiven for wondering ifElden Ring Nightreignmay suffer due to its premium price tag of around $40 while its competition is free, but that will likely not be the case.
Elden Ring Nightreign Should Mark the Return of Fully-Priced, Microtransaction-Free Multiplayer Games
Multiplayer Gaming Was a Different Beast Before Live-Service Trends, and Nightreign Could Awaken This Beast
With the ubiquity of games-as-a-service and other inescapable modern trends like microtransactions, it can be hard to imagine the games industry in any other way. This may be particularly pronounced for younger gamers, who have grown up with the likes ofFortniteandWarzonedefining their online multiplayer experiences. But things weren’t always this way.
In fact, multiplayer modes in single-player games were once viewed as a selling point rather than an avenue for constant profit. PurchasingHalo 3for $60 back in 2007 meant getting the entirety of the multiplayer mode, including everything that could be unlocked, right out the gate. Granted, there were things like map packs which could be purchased separately, but these were more like small-scale DLC than what audiences know as microtransactions today. Themultiplayer components of IP likeUncharted,Assassin’s Creed, andBioShockcan be described in similar terms. Eventhe firstRed Dead Redemption’s online mode was free of in-game currency, battle passes, and the like, only offering a finite selection of substantial DLC.
When a game was designed specifically around multiplayer, like in the case ofLeft 4 DeadorCastle Crashers, online play was once again treated primarily as a feature that would attract audiences; it wasn’t used as a way to encourage in-game spending. These games were sold for a single price upfront, and while they may have had occasional DLC available for download, the implementation of such content was far removed from what audiences see in games today.
Elden Ring Nightreign Is a Full Game
In an era defined by rampant monetization,Nightreignis standing out by not being live-service, and completely lacking microtransactions, as confirmed by director Junya Ishizaki in an interview with IGN. Rather, the gear, upgrades, areas, and everything else that can be unlocked will be earned strictly through the game itself. There won’t be XP boosters or purchasable skins posing as convenient options for players. None of this is to say that there won’t be DLC down the road, butNightreignwon’t be nickel-and-diming anyone.
The trade-off is that players will have to pay to access the game in the first place, but this really isn’t a big downside in the context of modern gaming. Sure, free-to-play is great, but if a game requires hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars just to get all the content, then “free” isn’t exactly the right descriptor. It’s free to get in the door to these games, not free to access them in their entirety.Elden Ring Nightreignis channeling sixth-and seventh-generation multiplayer gamingby charging full price for a full product, and other studios should take note.
Elden Ring Nightreign
WHERE TO PLAY
“ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN is a standalone adventure within the ELDEN RING universe, crafted to offer players a new gaming experience by reimagining the game’s core design.Join forces with other players to take on the creeping night and the dangers within featuring 3-player co-op.Take command of uniquely skilled heroes, each possessing their own abilities and distinct flair.While individually formidable, their skills create powerful synergies when they unite as a team.Overcome a relentless environmental threat that sweeps through a land that changes between each game session and defeat the magnificent boss of that night!”
