The behemoth Tencent is reportedly adapting Elden Ring for mobile, insiders claim (via Reuters).
Until the mobile version becomes a fact, Elden Ring is available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
China’s Tencent acquired the licensing rights for Elden Ring by FromSoftware and set up a team of a few dozen people to work on the mobile version, but “progress has been slow”, people familiar with the matter added.
The game, released in 2022 for $60, sold about 20 million copies in its first year, making it the world’s second best-selling game for the year. Its fans include billionaire Elon Musk.
The report states that while “Elden Ring” was presented as a premium game with a set price tag ($60), Tencent has a different idea. The Chinese giant wants to turn it into something similar to another hit – Genshin Impact: a free-to-play game with in-app purchases. While Tencent’s past hits such as PUBG Mobile continue to deliver strong revenue, more recent products have fallen short of expectations.
So far, Tencent and FromSoftware have not responded to requests for comment.
What’s it about?
Long story short (and it’s a good story), players control a customizable player character who is on a quest to repair the Elden Ring and become the new Elden Lord.
Elden Ring is presented through a third-person perspective; players freely roam its interactive open world. The six main areas are traversed using the player character’s steed Torrent as the primary mode of travel. Linear, hidden dungeons can be explored to find useful items. Players can use several types of weapons and magic spells, including non-direct engagement enabled by stealth mechanics. Throughout the game’s world, checkpoints enable fast travel and allow players to improve their attributes using an in-game currency called runes.
