Elden Ring: Nightreign 'is not what we consider a live service game,' says FromSoftware: 'We wanted to have a game that felt like a complete package'

Quite possibly the biggest surprise announcement of The Game Awards, Elden Ring: Nightreign is a multiplayer-focused spin-off of FromSoftware's giant open world RPG. Its debut trailer includes glimpses of a number of mechanics that look like they're plucked from popular free-to-play live service games, including a battle royale-style circle enclosing the map and "hero" characters with bespoke skillsets. But as I explain in detail in my hands-on preview with Nightreign, it's not a live service game, despite how much it resembles one. Nightreign is a co-op roguelike, and FromSoftware is sticking to the timeless model of paying up front for a whole dang videogame.

"With Nightreign, we wanted to have a game that felt like a complete package out of the box on the day of purchase, so everything is unlockable, everything is contained with that purchase. It's not what we'd consider a 'live service' game," director Junya Ishizaki said in an interview with PC Gamer after we spent a full day playing the game.

Publisher Bandai Namco elaborated that Nightreign will be an independent spin-off—no need to own Elden Ring to play it—and will be priced along the lines of this year's Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, rather than a full $60/$70.

Despite not being free-to-play, Nightreign's roguelike structure seems ideal for updates and expansions slotting in new characters, gear, and bosses to fight. I asked Ishizaki if he could speak to FromSoftware's plans for Nightreign post release.

"Of course we're concentrating on the release of Nightreign, first and foremost," he said. "But we will make considerations after the game's release. Especially in the form of post-release updates—balance updates, things like this that we've done with previous games—this will definitely be a priority going forward. For anything else, we're still in the process of thinking about the possibilities."

If you have more questions about Nightreign, check out my detailed breakdown of everything I learned about the game from a full day playing it at FromSoftware's offices.