What you need to know
- A possible release date for Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree expansion has leaked on a now-deleted page for themed Thrustmaster controllers.
- It said it's scheduled to launch in February 2024 on Elden Ring's anniversary, which makes February 25, 2024 the potential release date.
- The page also suggested Elden Ring will be getting a "major keybeat or new game expansion" in 2025.
- Notably, Elden Ring producer Yasuhiro Kitao said that Shadow of the Erdtree is "still a little ways off" in an interview earlier this month.
While developer FromSoftware hasn't yet given an official release date for Elden Ring's upcoming Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, we may now have an idea of when it's launching — and what's next for 2022's Game of the Year, too — thanks to a new leak.
These details allegedly come from a now-deleted page on the retail website DataBlitz that Reddit users recently reported spotting. The page was a listing for a collaboration between Elden Ring publisher Bandai Namco and gaming peripheral manufacturer Thrustmaster, and showed off the "ESWAP X 2 Elden Ring," which looks to be an upcoming limited edition version of one of the latter's Xbox gamepads. Its release window was listed as "February 2024," with the page saying its launch would sync with Shadow of the Erdtree's arrival on Elden Ring's anniversary. This suggests the expansion will release early next year on February 25.
Notably, the listing also claims Elden Ring is getting a "major keybeat or new game expansion" in 2025. Supposedly, its release will coincide with two more Thrustmaster controllers with designs inspired by Ranni the Witch and the Malenia, Blade of Miquella boss.
The page, as well as images of it posted to Imgur and MEGA, have been taken down. However, several screenshots of it are still visible on X (formerly Twitter), which you can see below.
It also lists a 2nd year of collaboration for a “major keybeat or new game expansion” in 2025, with 2 new controller releases. pic.twitter.com/YKjFJO510QDecember 15, 2023
While leaks like this should be taken with a grain of salt, the limited edition Thrustmaster controller designs look incredibly legit, and the overall style of the listing reminds me of Bandai Namco's official Elden Ring site a bit, as well. The DataBlitz page is also still showing up when you search something like "Elden Ring Thrustmaster," too, so it's not like the URL posted to Reddit is fake and never existed.
But while I'm inclined to believe Thrustmaster's limited edition controllers are real and on the way, the Shadow of the Erdtree release date info seems to conflict with recent comments from FromSoftware. Elden Ring producer Yasuhiro Kitao said that "it's still a little ways off" in an interview earlier this month, and wouldn't say more about it beyond that it's similar to Dark Souls and Bloodborne's DLC in terms of scope. That led most to think we won't see the expansion until Summer 2024 or later. However, maybe it's coming sooner than expected. In that case, you'd think a new trailer would have been shared during The Game Awards 2023, but perhaps Bandai Namco and FromSoftware were trying to keep things under wraps for a surprise release.
If the developers originally intended to launch the DLC on Elden Ring's second anniversary, but then pushed its release back, it's also possible that the page was put together some time ago and just never got updated. I suppose only time will tell.
In any event, the prospect of a new major Elden Ring content drop in 2025 is very exciting. Whether it's something like the Coliseum Update from last year or a full-blown second expansion, I'm always looking for reasons to return to the Lands Between.
Elden Ring is available on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PCs, and PlayStation systems. It's one of the best Xbox games and best PC games of all time, and if you're a fan of challenging action RPGs, we strongly recommend it.
