Elden Ring, the action RPG title by FromSoftware, was a massive success, going on to bag the coveted Game of the Year award. Fans have loved the game, and it is evident with the number of players still playing it and the anticipation for the upcoming Shadow of the Erdtree DLC.
The game’s success is attributed to game director Hidetaka Miyazaki and the world-building provided by Game of Thrones writer George RR Martin. But FromSoftware or Miyazaki hadn’t always planned to work with Martin; it was just one moment that both Miyazaki and Martin spent together that gave such an amazing title to the gamers.
One Brief Moment Led to Miyazaki Working With George RR Martin on Elden Ring
George RR Martin is responsible for the lore of the game, such as what happened 5000 years before the main game’s story, the characters, how they wanted to kill each other, and all that. Speaking to GamesRadar, Hidetaka Miyazaki said that he remembers his initial meetings with Martin, but they did not talk about the game’s content but just “general feelings.”
He said that Martin was aware of the Dark Souls games and what they were about, and that made him happy. He further added, “That sort of gave me a little bit of a boost. I knew immediately from talking to him; it just became apparent his skill and his passion for the fantasy genre, and for games as well.”
Miyazaki mentioned that the generation gap between him and Martin “felt a bit apprehensive,” but after some conversations, he felt like he was talking to a friend. He said that it gave him a “fresh” feeling talking to Martin, who was also passionate about the same things, adding that Martin showed “pure joy and a sense of curiosity for these fantasy worlds,” which made Miyazaki thrilled to work with him.
Miyazaki Also Shared How RR Martin Brought the Game World Alive
Miyazaki said that the initial meetings with Martin about the game took place at hotels and Martin’s hometown, where they used to have “kickoff conversations” about the game. He said that FromSoftware had already let Martin know that he’d write about the foundation and “historical element” of the game and not the in-game story.
The studio provided broad themes and ideas for mythos to start the work, and Martin used to come back with more ideas, and what we see in the game are some of those. Miyazaki also said that a lot of motifs came from Martin via issues that he had come across during his writing, and it helped the game world, adding that he’s “very grateful” for that.
George RR Martin’s work has heavily helped set the tone with the game’s backstory and lore that makes Elden Ring the hit it is, and the upcoming Shadow of the Erdtree expansion is also part of that original lore of the game, so it would also be pretty exciting. What are your thoughts about this? Let us know in the comments.
