Elden Ring - AAA game publishers have hard lessons to learn

Windows Central has an editorial on the lessons AAA game publishers have to learn if they want to replicate Elden Rings success.

1. World-building over Hollywood production values

Indeed, Skyrim is something Elden Ring has frequently been compared to, and it's a comparison I don't mind making either. Much like The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and the previous titles, one thing remains more true above all other comparisons from me, and that's the consistency of the world-building.

Neither game goes particularly deep on cinematics, although the few cinematics that Elden Ring does have are utterly awe-inspiring. And that's the point, really, sometimes less is more. But one area where that isn't true is world-building, which refers to the effort made to deliver a consistent, believable world.

In Elden Ring, it feels like every object in the game has a place in the lore and game's world. Nothing is placed there randomly or capriciously. From the emblems and designs of weapons and armor, to the placements of certain monsters, everything has lore implications. Why do living jar enemies explode into a wash of gore and giblets after being killed? Why are there mountains of them piled up at Elden Ring's erd trees? Why is Caria Manor full of disembodied hands trying to murder me like horrible fleshy spiders? I know that nothing here is arbitrary, due to the reputation FromSoftware has built up over the years. Through item descriptions, and through relatively light detective work, an entire world reveals itself to the player. A world with seemingly endless depth that truly sparks the imagination, and dare I say it, allows the player to use their imagination.

Bethesda Softworks follows these precepts, in Elder Scrolls games, Fallout games, and no doubt Starfield too. But, for whatever reason, few other developers really take their world-building too seriously beyond the most basic surface level. For some reason, they think spending $$$$ on heavy mo-cap and Hollywood-grade acting is somehow a better use of funds, over building a believable world that is cohesive and consistent across all of its design precepts.

Even if you don't read all of the item descriptions in Elden Ring, the hints and details you're given throughout the game give the world more life and believability than the last dozen Assassin's Dogs Cry Recon games do, while being more memorable. And hey, more marketable. People discuss the game's mysteries at length across socials, sharing the things they've found. I'm still haunted by a weird, fossilized face I found in the hidden basement area of Castle Stormveil.

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