Arise, Tarnished. On December 6, FromSoftware announced that Elden Ring will finally receive DLC, in the form of a PvP Colosseum arena. The Colosseum DLC will launch for free across all platforms on December 7, 2022. This update will allow players to duel with or against others in a dedicated arena — a highly requested feature since its launch. While this a welcome development, this update isn’t of the scale many of us had hoped. But given FromSoftware’s history of developing major expansions in past games, along with other factors, it’s highly likely Elden Ring will get a more substantial update in the future. Here are three reasons why there’s likely more Elden Ring DLC to come.
3. Milking Elden Ring’s success
Elden Ring was a runaway success immediately after its February launch, earning critical acclaim and numerous accolades, including a Game of the Year nomination at The Game Awards 2022. With that in mind, it would make sense for more content to be in the works.
As of October 2022, the game had surpassed 17.5 million units sold, making it one of the year’s bestselling games.
In the world of video games, there’s no such thing as a successful “one and done.” If a game sells well, it’s bound to get DLC, a sequel, or both. Just look at series such as Final Fantasy, Call of Duty, Pokémon, and annualized sports franchises like FIFA — all include dozens of entries and DLC that span over 20 years.
So, given FromSoftware and Bandai Namco’s success with Elden Ring, we certainly haven’t seen the last of The Lands Between, even after the Colosseum DLC launches on December 7.
2. FromSoftware’s history of DLC
FromSoftware, the developers of Elden Ring, has a history of implementing DLC in many of its games — and with each entry, the post-launch content seems to have grown in scope. For instance, the original Dark Souls received the Artorias of the Abyss expansion, which added some new locations, story elements, and bosses.
Then, Dark Souls II got three expansions, including Crown of the Sunken King, Crown of the Old Kin, and Crown of the Ivory King — nearly three times the content from the first installment. It’s worth noting that Dark Souls II featured a PvP arena similar to the upcoming Elden Ring Colosseum DLC.
Then, Dark Souls III featured Ashes of Ariandel and The Ringed City expansions, which added plenty of additional areas, items, and bosses.
Liekwise, Bloodborne got The Old Hunters DLC, which is widely regarded as one of the best expansions of any FromSoftware game to date.
In looking at FromSoftware’s willingness to develop major expansions — not just smaller projects like the PvP Colosseum — it’s highly likely Elden Ring will receive major story DLC with new areas and enemies to battle.
1. Cut content and leaks
Finally, and arguably most importantly, there’s a staggering amount of cut content that never made it into the final release. Given that these features have already been developed, they’re prime candidates for future content.
The list of cut content goes on and on, but one of the most noteworthy comes by way of dataminer Lance McDonald, who explains that Elden Ring originally included the ability to explore the dreams of sleeping NPCs. This could have added a degree of surrealism that might’ve given FromSoftware the liberty to feature even more wild creature designs or stories — all within a character’s dreams.
Alongside that, another dataminer by the name of Sekiro Dubi said there’s reason to believe that up to 30 additional bosses could be added in the future.
It’s common for features to be developed and referenced in a game’s files, but never see the light of day, so this isn’t necessarily confirmation that DLC is coming. But it’s a great indication that FromSoftware could have plans for additional Elden Ring content beyond the Colosseum update.
Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier believes that a “full DLC announcement” for Elden Ring will be made at The Game Awards on December 8. He says this speculation, but is in line with our estimates that more DLC is, indeed, coming.
Elden Ring’s free Colosseum update launches on December 7.
