Elden Ring on Xbox Game Pass? Subscribers could be about to get the Game of the Year for 2022

Xbox Game Pass subscribers might have a pleasant surprise incoming in the hopefully near future, or so a hint delivered on Twitter suggests - namely the arrival of Elden Ring.

A cryptic clue in a tweet from Sarah Bond, who is Xbox VP for Game Creator Experience and Ecosystem at Microsoft, was made slightly less cryptic in a follow-up message.

Initially, Bond tweeted an icon for an older person and a ring - 'Elder' or rather 'Elden' and 'Ring' - then decided that was maybe a bit too obscure, so just dropped an image of Elden Ring into the mix (not so obscure).

So, it'd seem that something new is happening with Elden Ring and Xbox, which most folks on Twitter - and elsewhere - have taken to mean that the GOTY from last year is coming to Xbox Game Pass. (In case you missed it, Elden Ring was voted Game of the Year at the Game Awards 2022 - it also scooped best RPG, unsurprisingly, along with best art direction, and best game direction).

This seems the most likely conclusion here. Bond has previously talked a fair bit about Game Pass in interviews, and it's obviously involved in her role at Microsoft.

That said, this remains speculation until something concrete comes through by way of confirmation. Some folks argue that the move feels a stretch as Elden Ring likely has some sales mileage left in the tank (the game had shifted over 20 million units as of March 2023).

Another theory - that Microsoft is planning to buy FromSoftware - could best be described as, well, silly.

In other recent Elden Ring news, a mod has been released on the PC which brings in dynamic shadows, a pretty nifty visual upgrade for the game. In theory, that mod should work with Dark Souls 3, as well.