Hidetaka Miyazaki says Elden Ring’s release was ‘not a very pleasant time’

videogameschronicle.com:

Elden Ring director Hidetaka Miyazaki has revealed his anxieties around the launch of Elden Ring, and his thoughts on the evolution of the Souls series as a whole.

In a new interview in the March 10, 2022 issue of Famitsu magazine, translated by VGC, Miyazaki explained how his feelings around the launch of Elden Ring weren’t dissimilar to other launches he’s experienced.

“It’s the same for all past titles, not just this one, but it’s not a very pleasant time,” he said. “I’m sure I’m relieved, but I’m more anxious about it. I never get used to it.”

Miyazaki also explained why he believed that it was the right time to make Elden Ring, praising his “excellent staff” and their ability to “leave (him to it).”

“It was expected from the beginning that this work would be the largest scale ever.”.

Miyazaki also explains that although the combat in Elden Ring has echoes of Sekiro, both games were developed at the same time. As such, it wasn’t a case of lessons learned from one game directly influencing the other, more that the joint development influenced both games.

“Since this work and the production of Sekiro were in parallel, there was not much direct feedback from Sekiro,” he says. “However, since I directed both, it is certain that they influenced each other.”

Later in the interview, Miyazaki explained how Game of Thrones writer George RR Martin influenced the project in its early stages, and how the lore of Elden Ring was developed.

He said: “Martin’s lore has existed since the very early stages of development and has given us various inspirations.  The lore depicts a complex and interesting relationship between mystery and the player, and gives us a multi-layered depth that we can call history.”

On the concept of the Elden Ring