FromSoftware fans have a lot to look forward to right now. Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon is just around the corner, and its marketing looks to be ramping up in the lead-up to launch. Elden Ring will be receiving a downloadable expansion titled Shadow of the Erdtree sometime after that, and some rumors claim the developer has another game in the works. While Elden Ring’s new content seems far off, the increased presence of modern FromSoftware design in Armored Core 6 should keep the community occupied.
There are a lot of places that Elden Ring’s DLC could go. For one, the Shadow of the Erdtree poster teases a connection between Miquella and the spectral steed Torrent. Several other loose threads exist from the base game, including the true natures of Melina, the Gloam-Eyed Queen, and the Prince of Death. However, with only a poster and absences from the base Elden Ring to speculate with, nobody knows exactly what to expect until Shadow of the Erdtree gets a proper announcement. It’s assumed that will come after Armored Core 6 is out, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the news is close by.
Elden Ring Can’t Steal Armored Core 6’s Spotlight
When the community next hears about Shadow of the Erdtree depends on when the expansion will be released. According to a financial report from FromSoftware’s owner Kadokawa Corporation, Elden Ring’s DLC is not expected to launch in its current fiscal year, ending March 31, 2024. That means Shadow of the Erdtree will probably miss Elden Ring’s second anniversary, but that may be all right if it has multiple DLC episodes’ worth of content as leakers claim.
Although rumors and fan assumptions paint 2024 as the release year for Shadow of the Erdtree, that doesn’t mean fans won’t hear about it in 2023. The summer convention season is still ongoing, and there are several likely suspects dotting the rest of the year. July’s San Diego Comic Con 2023 is unlikely, but news could appear a month later at Gamescom 2023, beginning with an Opening Night Live showcase on August 22. Acting as a European equivalent to E3, Gamescom tends to focus on titles that have already been announced. That might mean Armored Core 6 could get a last-minute trailer, but it would also be a good place to talk about Elden Ring’s DLC.
However, the Elden Ring expansion just being mentioned is not what fans are looking for. Chances of a trailer dropping for Shadow of the Erdtree will only go up over time, and moving away from Armored Core 6 should help. The first major event after Gamescom is Tokyo Game Show 2023, running from September 21 to 24, which could feature an Elden Ring trailer on top of other Bandai Namco games like Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 4 or Naruto X Boruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections. DLC trailers don’t demand gaming’s grandest stages, so revealing one as part of a panel and then dropping localized trailers online would suffice.
Operating under the assumption that Shadow of the Erdtree will release in April 2024 or shortly afterward, The Game Awards 2023 might be the last big show it could feature at. Barring anything like a State of Play presentation from Sony, this is where one could best expect Elden Ring to be at, especially given its awards at 2022’s show. If Shadow of the Erdtree news keeps fans waiting past 2023, then fans may want to brace themselves for a summer or fall launch window. Elden Ring’s DLC shouldn’t slip past its projected 2024 release, but that leaves a lot of time for a trailer to potentially drop.
Source – Gamesrant
