Elden Ring Nightreign is basically an experiment for FromSoftware, which has tried its hand at a "condensed RPG" with a "sporty" feel, per director Junya Ishizaki.
One of its more surprising elements is the to-hell-with-canon inclusion of bosses and, via cosmetics, characters from previous FromSoftware games, especially the Dark Souls trilogy. Ishizaki previously said this just sounded like a fun idea, and in an interview with GamesRadar+, he reckons it also legitimately worked with the themes of Elden Ring itself.
