Tencent is making an Elden Ring mobile game, according to a new report published today by Reuters. According to anonymous sources, the project started in 2022, shortly after Tencent had purchased a 16% stake in FromSoftware (Sony also invested at the same time to get a 14% stake).
A few dozen developers have been working on a prototype, but progress has reportedly been slow. That might be because Tencent would like to make this mobile version of Elden Ring a free-to-play game with in-app purchases, but that’s not really a great fit for the premiere Soulslike title. Tencent is chasing the runaway success of Genshin Impact, but Elden Ring is a completely different type of game.
Tencent is still the biggest gaming publisher in terms of yearly revenue. However, last week, CEO and co-founder Pony Ma said at the company’s annual meeting in a Shenzen stadium:
Gaming is our flagship business…But in the past year, we have faced significant challenges. We have found ourselves at a loss, as our competitors continue to produce new products, leaving us feeling having achieved nothing.
The company is therefore looking to produce new hits, but porting premium console games to mobile is easier said than done. Tencent itself canceled a NieR mobile title in December after failing to find a workable business model for the project.
As for Elden Ring, fans of the PC and console game have been yearning to go back and play the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, which just won Wccftech’s awards for the most anticipated expansion or DLC scheduled for 2024. FromSoftware appears to be making changes to the game’s Steam backend, though, suggesting the launch of Shadow of the Erdtree may be near. Elden Ring will turn two years old on February 25, though that’s a Sunday and therefore unlikely to be a potential release day.
