There were indeed some welcome surprises at The Game Awards yesterday, including ones that no one truly saw coming or weren’t leaked ahead of time by data miners or those who were trying to sus out every potential detail. While some leaks haven’t come to pass just yet, it was good to see surprises like FromSoftware’s Elden Ring Nightreign unveiled. While many originally thought this would simply be another DLC experience, it’s apparently a standalone co-op adventure, which makes it all the more intriguing, given how FromSoftware has handled “co-op” in the past. Now, if you want to get your hands on the game a bit early, the dev team has something for you to mark down for January.
Specifically, the game’s official Twitter handle revealed that the “network test” for Elden Ring Nightreign will arrive in February, with registration for it coming on January 10th. So, why are they doing this kind of test? Simply put, it’s necessary. While there was co-op in past FromSoftware titles, including the one this game spins off from, it was always more of a restricted kind, even when you were playing with friends. It wasn’t a true “focus,” if you will, but something you could do if you wanted.
Whereas here, the co-op/multiplayer gameplay is the focus; you can even see it within the image below, as it highlights character symbols.
In today’s gaming age, you absolutely need to have the best online infrastructure possible if you’re not only aiming to get big player numbers but also get them to talk about the game via word-of-mouth. Another curious detail about this reveal is that the test is only for the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. However, there’s a basic answer to why this is happening. On PC, it’s easy to data mine and potentially leak all sorts of things about what might be coming up in the title. Given that this is a test of the game itself, there will be plenty of data on the game’s plot, the characters, the enemies you’ll face, and more within the game already.
It’s clear that FromSoftware doesn’t want to deal with these data miners, so the team is restricting the test to consoles. Plus, if you think about it, the crew has done plenty of online PC games in the past, so the team knows how to make it work. Consoles can be a bit more finicky if not careful.
Either way, if you’re game to be a part of the test, be ready to sign up next month.
