‘Elden Ring’ is reportedly coming to your phone. Here’s what we know.
From Software’s critically acclaimed Elden Ring will be a free-to-play mobile title, according to a report from Reuters on Monday. Chinese tech giant Tencent reportedly acquired the rights to develop the game for smartphones, which will include in-app purchases.
Elden Ring, a 2022 Game of the Year winner, will be the latest AAA game to be ported to phones. Tencent has invested a considerable amount of money into the space, along with other titles like Call of Duty: Mobile and PUBG Mobile. The company also owns a 16 percent stake in From Software, so this deal was inevitable.
This doesn’t mean things are smooth sailing for Tencent, which faces a tough battle in the mobile/free-to-play space against developers like miHoYo (Genshin Impact) and NetEase (Egg Party). Tencent shelved its Apex Legends mobile game last year, which it developed in collaboration with EA. It also shuttered a game based on the Nier franchise, too. On top of that, the royalty fees taken by Apple can fall anywhere between 15 and 20 percent, alongside a 30 percent commission.
According to Reuters, Tencent plans on introducing in-app purchases into its Elden Ring port “similar to” Genshin Impact. It’s an interesting choice since Elden Ring is largely lauded for its masterful and dense single-player experience that may not translate well to the mobile space.
Death Stranding, another critically acclaimed, single-player game with pseudo-multiplayer mechanics, recently launched on iOS devices to mixed reviews due to some significant performance issues.
There’s no rumored release date for this port yet.
