Elden Ring delayed to February 2022, network beta test coming November

Elden Ring has been delayed to February 25, 2022, Bandai Namco today announced.

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Elden Ring will release a month later than its original launch date and is now set for a February 2022 rollout on consoles and PC. FromSoftware says the delay is due to the "depth & strategic freedom of the game" exceeding its original expectations.

Bandai Namco will also hold a closed network beta test for the game to stress the online multiplayer servers. That test will be held from November 12 - November 15 on all platforms and will be free--no pre-orders needed. Not everyone will get in, though, and gamers will have an opportunity to register for a chance to playtest the network version.

FromSoftware had previously said the game was basically finished however the huge seamless world and network-based logistics require an extra month's work from the team.

Here's what FromSoft's marketing guru Yasuhiro Kitao said at the Tokyo Game Show:

"It will be very difficult," Kitao said."We want players to feel a sense of accomplishment, and one of the ways to achieve this is to set a high difficulty level."

"There are systems in place to help you experience that sense of accomplishment. For example, when there are a lot of enemies, you can summon a spirit to fight with you as your companion."

Kitao also confirms Elden Ring won't have any fetch quests or mundane side quests. The map, which is set in the virulent multi-biomed Lands Between, is set up in an "unusual way."

"We have prepared a large field, but we don't have any errand quests, so players can go there or there as they like."

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