A collaboration between From Software, developer of Dark Souls, and George R.R. Martin, author of A Song of Ice and Fire, The Elden Ring has the potential to be the most expansive and detailed dark fantasy game we've seen in a while.

The problem, however, is that we don't know much about it; aside from a short trailer consisting of pre-rendered cutscenes that was shown at E3 2019, information about "The Elden Ring" is vague and sporadic. Still, between the trailer and some comments from the game's creators, we can fill in some gaps about Elden Ring until we get a more comprehensive look at this game.

The Elden Ring announcement trailer from E3 2019 remains the single greatest source of information we have about this game. And like From Software's other projects, it doesn't tell us much, as Elden Ring's story and setting seem somewhat obscure by design. But if you want to see a couple of minutes of dark fantasy cutscenes, here they are:

In them, a warrior sacrifices his own flesh and blood to obtain a mechanical arm, and a blacksmith breaks what might be the title Elden Ring. The Elden ring is some sort of powerful artifact, and its destruction apparently brings some sort of chaos or disaster to the world. There are demons, battlefields, and ominous narration. Not entirely true, as we can see from From Software's other games.

Elden Ring was announced for PS4, Xbox One, and PC when it was revealed at E3 2019, but a next-gen version for PS5 and Xbox Series X is not impossible. An official release date for the game has not yet been announced, so take rumors about it with a grain of salt.

FromSoftware has yet to reveal information about Elden Ring's multiplayer features, if any; both "Dark Souls" and "Bloodborne" had some minor multiplayer features, such as leaving messages for other players or calling players up for boss fights. and "Bloodborne" had a bit of a multiplayer presentation, such as leaving messages for other players or calling players up in boss fights. From Software's latest project, "Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice," however, has no multiplayer at all.

Fans seem convinced that "Eldenring" will have a multiplayer option like "Dark Souls," but as far as I know, From Software has remained silent on the matter. We will have to wait for more information directly from the source.

Elden Ring can be pre-ordered at Amazon, Best Buy, etc.

First and foremost, Elden Ring does not yet have a release date, so if you pre-order now, you may have to wait quite a while for it to arrive. Amazon has it as December 31, 2020. This is just a placeholder date. It could be released before the end of the year, or it could be released in 2021.

There is also the question of whether "The Elden Ring" will be released on the PS5 and Xbox Series X. If the release is later than this year, it seems likely. Therefore, if you plan to purchase a next-generation console, you probably should not pre-order any current-gen games. (In theory, the Xbox One version will be upgraded to Xbox Series X games for free through Microsoft's Smart Delivery system, but this is not guaranteed for third-party games.)

Thanks to the announcement trailer and a few tidbits from the game's creator, Eitaka Miyazaki, we know a little more about the story of the Elden Ring. Apparently, a powerful creation called the Elden Ring has been destroyed, and as a result, the world is in a very bad state. Warriors have to sacrifice (literally) a part of themselves to fight the demons that have emerged as a result.

As to how much of the story is Martin's and how much is Miyazaki's, it is hard to say. It appears that Miyazaki wrote the story and Martin worked on the setting and mechanics. From Martin's influence, we can expect a dark setting full of intrigue, and from Miyazaki's influence, we can expect strange and unique characters and a story that is very open to interpretation.

While we don't know much about Elden Ring's gameplay, Miyazaki has said that it will be a bit less restrictive than the Souls series and Sekiro; Elden Ring is an open world, and players will be able to explore it on horseback. However, there will be no towns, but instead dungeons and ruins that can be explored. This is because "Souls" also does not have a dedicated town, but only one safe "hub" area.

Tom's Guide will update this page as soon as we know more about Eldenring. Until then, please play the "Dark Souls" series or read "A Song of Ice and Fire" to get an idea of what to expect when the game is complete.