To all the Elden Ring and Soulslike fans who miss playing the game on the go, there could be good news coming their way courtesy of Tencent. Tencent is working on a mobile edition of Elden Ring after acquiring rights to the game from FromSoftware Inc. two years ago, around the same time the game was released.
The record-breaking game has managed to garner fans globally, including even billionaire Elon Musk. A mobile version could skyrocket Tencent Holdings if the game is ported to mobile devices properly, as fans continue to wait for the game’s first DLC to drop any time this year, even if the wait for official news about the release continues.
Mobile Devices Will Be Broken Once Elden Ring Arrives
Tencent Holdings’ division, Tencent Games, is known for many massive mobile titles, including the fan favorite PlayerUnknown’s Battleground Mobile, also known as PUBG Mobile. The Chinese conglomerate acquired the rights to FromSoftware Inc.’s Elden Ring back when the game was released in 2022 but had not disclosed any plans to make a mobile version back then.
Elden Ring was released to a massive reception, especially after the success seen by the Dark Souls franchise. Tencent is now said to be working on the mobile edition, as confirmed by three anonymous insiders, as revealed by Reuters.
While Elden Ring is available for the standard price of $59.99, Tencent could end up making it a free-to-play title with microtransactions, just like the company’s free-to-play battle royale shooter, PUBG Mobile.
Tencent’s rival, miHoYo, developed the hit game, Genshin Impact, in much the same model, making the game free-to-play with in-game purchases. Genshin Impact has garnered a rather large fan following despite the microtransaction model, which is what Tencent would look to achieve with the Elden Ring mobile edition.
No Comments Yet by Either FromSoftware or Tencent
The fact that there has not been a mobile edition for two years since Tencent acquired the license could boil down to the massively different business models. Elden Ring was designed by FromSoftware Inc. to pay once and experience the game in full, which is rather contrasting to Tencent’s business model.
Microtransaction models have rarely turned up on the good side of the gaming community, so it will be interesting to see how Tencent models Elden Ring when it eventually launches. Reuters also reported that there has been no official comment by either Tencent or FromSoftware Inc. about the leaked news from Tencent.
Even though the upcoming DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree, could well not be a free expansion, given the hyped fans waiting for it, there’s a high chance the paid DLC would still break records in terms of sales. Making the entire game a free-to-play title with in-game purchases could change the experience completely for the franchise faithful, who are looking forward to the handheld version of the game.
While fans wait eagerly to get their hands on the DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree, Tencent will have the fans waiting for the mobile edition of the game as well. Looking at Genshin Impact‘s massive spec requirements to play the game at a high frame rate, fans would be hoping their mobile devices are ready for an Elden Ring port.
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