It's a day that ends in Y, which means that Elden Ring fans are once again turning their full tarnished fury toward begging for a DLC announcement.
The catalyst this time is the announcement from publisher Bandai Namco's Nordic division, detailing a "community celebration" in celebration of the Elden Ring's first anniversary in Stockholm. There'll be a "live show, giveaways, contents, exclusive prizes, pub quiz, drinks, cosplay, and PvP." You'll note what's not on that list - things like "announcements" or "exciting news" or "an appearance from Big Miyazaki to announce the future of Elden Ring."
That hasn't stopped the Elden Ring community from latching onto false hope. One of the top posts in the past few days over on the Elden Ring subreddit is called "Possible DLC news?" and it points to this Bandai Namco tweet. I entered that thread expecting to see a whole lot of self-deprecating posts about the community's propensity to obsess over the vaguest hint - instead, I was bowled over by hundreds of comments seriously entertaining the possibility that DLC will be revealed here.
📅 SAVE THE DATE! 📅 Welcome to our #ELDENRING 1 year anniversary celebration in Stockholm. 🎉On the 25th of February, we invite you all to celebrate with us at Red Bull Gaming Sphere in Stockholm. The event will also be live streamed on Twitch. More info coming (very) soon! pic.twitter.com/H2NsKUKTyyFebruary 1, 2023
I'm joining our friends over at PC Gamer in saying: Stop it. Get some help. They're not going to announce Elden Ring DLC at a regional event being promoted by only one of Bandai Namco's numerous worldwide branches. I think Reddit user random_english_guy has the right of it: "They keep you hooked on the allusion to DLC. You are a voluntary prisoner to the game, and you love it... Stockholm syndrome." At least some folks are keeping the right sense of humor here.
I do not doubt the idea that Elden Ring DLC is coming. FromSoftware made a habit of producing big expansions for the Soulsborne games, and Elden Ring has been astronomically more successful than any of those previous titles. Leaks and datamines point toward DLC. It's almost certainly going to happen - you just need to wait. You don't want to be like those Nintendo Direct people, do you?
Don't fall for those fake Elden Ring DLC leaks, either.
