Building upon the basic principles of developer FromSoftware’s previous cult hit games, Elden Ring brings players an exquisitely absorbing fantasy. Everywhere you go, there’s always something alluring, or something that can obliterate you, or both. There’s no doubt that exploring and slowly conquering this masterwork feels like an achievement.
One of Elden Ring’s most striking aspects was the involvement of Game of Thrones writer George R.R. Martin. While many reports in the past have suggested that Martin played a major role in crafting the universe of the Elden Ring, it seems like Hidetaka Miyazaki was the one who gave us this beautiful universe all along.
Hidetaka Miyazaki is Truly The Mind Behind Elden Ring’s Greatness
As one of the most acclaimed titles ever crafted, FromSoftware’s hit RPG never lacked selling points spanning worldbuilding and gameplay. A particular aspect that helped the game set it apart from its rivals and previous titles by the developer was the fact that George R.R. Martin penned the Elden Ring mythos.
After the game’s release, many players outright credited Martin with the entire title’s story, characters, and features. However, that was simply not true. In an interview, Elden Ring’s producer Yasuhiro Kitao opened up about Martin’s involvement in the entire project.
We felt it was a really inspiring collaboration. When George R.R. Martin says “Okay, here’s the mythos, do what you will with it,” Miyazaki is just going to run with it. So he’s really taken a lot of inspiration. Miyazaki has really been free to take his own interpretations and create his own characters based off of that. He’s really enjoyed having this script as a backbone.”
According to Kitao, Martin was involved in forming the world’s basic mythos, which took place many years before the events of the base game. Although Martin scored the game’s basic story, it was Miyazaki who added the classic Souls flavor to the game in the end. Martin’s vision was a backbone, which Miyzaki and his team took to the next level with their own ideas and interpretations.
Getting Martin onboard for the Elden Ring project was an incredible challenge for Miyazaki. On his ‘Not a Blog’ blog, Martin revealed that video games have never really been his thing, but Miyazaki was able to sell him on the idea of Elden Ring, bringing the collaboration to fruition.
Is George R.R. Martin Involved In Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC?
With Elden Ring’s upcoming Shadow of the Erdtree DLC right around the corner, many players have been wondering if Martin is involved with the project yet again. Although Miyazaki confirmed in an interview that Martin did play a role in the upcoming expansion, he also stated that Martin “hasn’t written anything exclusively and new for the sake of this DLC.”
Miyazaki revealed that the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion draws from Martin’s original mythos. The author’s previous work inspired FromSoftware to craft the immersive story of the upcoming DLC. Interestingly, Miyazaki also said that although he and Martin have exchanged emails since the debut of Elden Ring, they still haven’t been able to meet and talk in person before the launch.
