Elden Ring Nightreign to get DLC bosses and characters in yet more evidence that it's a From Extended Universe game

rockpapershotgun.com:

Elden Ring Nightreign will get "additional playable characters and bosses" via DLC, according to an entry on the game's Steam page. This isn't massively surprising, given that Nightreign is a multiplayer-focussed spin-off featuring preset Nightfarer heroes rather than custom RPG characters, as in vanilla Elden Ring. It also supports the idea that Nightreign is the foundation for a From Software Connected Universe of sorts, with characters and antagonists from the original Elden Ring, Dark Souls trilogy, Sekiro and Bloodborne reappearing in Nightreign via the Mystic Nexus of Monetisation.

The Steam page mention of DLC has since been removed, but not fast enough to evade the watchful harpies of Parsimonious Gamer. The now-deleted entry didn't specify which characters or bosses, but it seems overwhelmingly likely that there will be some familiar faces. We already know that Nightreign features a few bosses from previous From Software games, including the first Dark Souls' Centipede Demon and Dark Souls 3's dragon-riding solar warrior the Nameless King.

Speaking to Gamespot, From Software game director Junya Ishizaki has explained the return of Nameless King and other stalwarts as reflecting the need for variety in a battle royale-flavoured bossrush experience that thrives on creative match-ups. "We needed a lot to add to this mix, so we wanted to leverage what we deemed appropriate from our previous titles," he told the site, going on to note that "our players have a lot of affection for these characters" and that From are being careful to ground things in lore and ensure the bosses "make sense within the atmosphere and vibe of Elden Ring Nightreign".

I don't doubt Ishizaki's sincerity when he adds that "from a personal standpoint, I thought it'd be kind of fun", and I don't want to get too picky with the wording of an answer that presumably came via translator, but "leverage" is a word you tend to hear from publishers looking to squeeze more cash out of their