Why Elden Ring Nightreign Is Going Co-Op, Aiming For 40-Minute Sessions, And How Replayable It Will Be All Discussed In New Interview

There's been quite the buzz surrounding a multiplayer Elden Ring title since From Software revealed Elden Ring Nightreign at The Game Awards last month. The co-op game will feature groups of 3 trying to make their way through smaller "three day" cycles facing off against bosses and experiencing the RPG elements of the game in smaller chunks.

In a new interview with IGN Japan, Director Junya Ishizaki revealed quite a few tidbits about the game and maybe tamped down some potential early concerns as the game marches towards its first planned network test in February. You can register for that test starting next Friday, January 10th.

Some of the things we learn focus on the team itself. Fans of the franchise may be curious how much influence series creator Hidetaka Miyazaki may have had/has on Nightreign. Turns out, not much. He was involved up until Nightreign was full conceptualized. Since then, it's all been on Ishizaki and team. The world of Nightreign itself is part of the Elden Ring world, but only up until the Fracture War. After that, Nightreign is kind of its own parallel world. No, there was no new lore content created by George R.R. Martin for Nightreign.

As for what you'll be getting your hands on, expect 8 playable characters, each of which has their own abilities, style, and backstory, one of whom actually uses ashes in battle, so expect ashes to work a tad differently in Nightreign. While the game is largely meant to be played in groups of three (even though the team did test 4 player groups), you can play solo. No duos though. Sessions are targeting about 40 minutes per session as your team works its way through "three-days" of battles and worlds that are constantly changing each session. Loot, bosses, and more change between sessions, but minor enemies will not respawn between "days."

On the management side, rest assured that Nightreign is not what Google translate calls a "management-type" game. What it really means is "live service." The interview specifically asks about recent live-service disasters like Concord and Ishizaki confirms, "This is a one-time purchase game, and we are not particularly concerned about the poor performance of management-type titles. From Software is focused on making the games we develop fun. If it's fun, we're confident that users will like it, so we're not worried about that."

Big question, though. Difficulty? There will only be one difficulty level. If things are a bit hard, Ishizaki recommends practice or the farming of relics to power up a bit.

Honestly, I am eagerly awaiting this title. I'm not a huge "Souls" fan, I play them, but I'm not a superfan or anything. A multiplayer version, though? Let's go! This interview makes me even more interested.