Even as it approaches the end of its lifespan, Elden Ring has aged gracefully. Boasting over twenty-five million copies sold, and at least five million purchases of its Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, Elden Ring is undoubtedly the most successful game in FromSoftware's catalog, and it's hard to say if it's going to be topped anytime soon. Not currently knowing FromSoftware’s next move doesn't help, but as it seems to have put a lid on Elden Ring as a game series with its expansion, the Japanese game developer is free to move on wherever and whenever it wishes.
Discussions about FromSoftware's future have already commenced, though little is certain until the studio’s next announcement. It sounds like an Elden Ring movie could be coming, but that would mostly be handled by external parties. On the game side, Armored Core 6 players are still waiting to hear if that game will have its own Shadow of the Erdtree equivalent, or if another full game in the franchise is on its way. Plenty of other concepts have been pitched for the next FromSoftware title, but one thing that's for sure is that it would be a lot better if it incorporated Elden Ring’s most popular mod.
Future FromSoftware Games Could Potentially Include Big Co-Op Upgrade
Dark Souls and Elden Ring developer FromSoftware might implement an innovative upgrade to its cooperative multiplayer formula for future projects.
Elden Ring's Most Popular Mod Is Uncontested
Befitting a title with Elden Ring’s sales, many fan mods have been made across the game’s lifetime. Ranging from cosmetic changes to massive gameplay overhauls like Elden Ring: The Convergence and Elden Ring Reforged, there is no shortage of ways to spice up an Elden Ring playthrough. The vast majority of these are collected on the Nexus website, which serves as a hub for many PC games’ modding scenes. Nexus helps the best mods rise to the surface by tracking the popularity of all mods and recent ones in particular, among other parameters, and one Elden Ring mod clearly stands above the rest.
Seamless Co-Op Is The Elden Ring Experience Many Players Want
The Seamless Co-Op mod by LukeYui and other collaborators topped Nexus charts a few months after Elden Ring was released, and, at least on the “Popular (all time)” tab, it never left. Conceptually, the Seamless Co-Op mod sounds very simple: it lifts the restrictions Elden Ring places on online player co-op, allowing two-to-six players to remain loaded into the same world from tutorial to credits. Other quality of life features, like all players having access to Torrent and different ways to handle deaths, are available, but it’s the uninterrupted co-op experience itself that made this mod so popular.
Elden Ring’s Seamless Co-Op Mod Is Too Popular To Ignore
Nexus offers public statistics to quantify that popularity, and Seamless Co-Op immediately stands out with over one million more unique downloads than the next most popular mod, Elden Mod Loader. Seamless Co-Op has over 2.2 million unique downloads, and over 6.3 million total downloads, meaning at least a tenth of Elden Ring’s record-setting player base could have played it. Factor in Elden Ring’s 952,523 concurrent player peak on Steam, and there's a good chance more than half of all PC Elden Ring owners have this mod. Unlimited co-op is clearly in demand, and with official confirmation that it's aware of this mod, FromSoftware’s next project could reach new heights with it.
FromSoftware’s Next Game Would Thrive By Learning From Seamless Co-Op
Whether it's for overcoming an especially difficult section, exploring a huge world with friends, or just an interesting variant on normal gameplay, Seamless Co-Op has something to offer just about anyone interested in FromSoftware's multiplayer. Giving players the option to have a shared adventure where the group’s progress counts for everyone would be game-changing in the next FromSoftware Soulslike, but would also be applicable to tackling missions in an Armored Core group as well. Whatever direction FromSoftware takes its games in next, copying the Elden Ring Seamless Co-Op experience should ensure it has an audience ready to buy in.
Elden Ring
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 95 /100 Critics Rec: 98%
- Released
- February 25, 2022
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- From Software
- Publisher(s)
- Bandai Namco Entertainment, From Software
WHERE TO PLAY
ELDEN RING, developed by FromSoftware, Inc. And BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Inc., is a fantasy action-RPG adventure set within a world created by Hidetaka Miyazaki and George R.R. Martin. Danger and discovery lurk around every corner in FromSoftware’s largest game to date. Hidetaka Miyazaki - President and Game Director of FromSoftware Inc. Known for directing critically-acclaimed games in beloved franchises including Armored Core and Dark Souls.
George R.R. Martin is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of many novels, including the acclaimed series A Song of Ice and Fire - A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords, A Feast For Crows, and A Dance with Dragons. As a writer-producer, he has worked on The Twilight Zone, Beauty and the Beast, and various feature films and pilots that were never made. He lives with the lovely Parris in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
- Engine
- Proprietary
- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op, Online Multiplayer
- Cross-Platform Play
- PS4 & PS5 and Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X
- How Long To Beat
- 58 Hours
- PS Plus Availability
- N/A
