Intriguing Fan Theory Suggests Elden Ring Nightreign Is Miyazaki’s Developer Training Ground

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Intriguing Fan Theory Suggests Elden Ring Nightreign Is Miyazaki’s Developer Training Ground

Elden Ring Nightreign’s original reveal at the 2024 Game Awards left a lot of fans confused about FromSoftware making a multiplayer co-op title instead of making a true sequel to Elden Ring. It raised questions about the direction the company is heading.

A shakeup to the ol’ reliable Souls formula, Elden Ring Nightreign promises a fun multiplayer experience while keeping the essence of what made the previous game special.

Multiplayer games haven’t had the best reputation, so Miyazaki trying his hand at it raised some eyebrows. However, a new fan theory suggests that he had a good reason for doing so.

Elden Ring Nightreign is a product of low-stakes and experimentation

According to PissWitchin on

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, Elden Ring Nightreign is Miyazaki’s answer to an industry that doesn’t have room for failure. This interesting fan theory makes a lot of sense when you consider that the multiplayer title is entirely experimental and it’s being helmed by a smaller team at FromSoftware.

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So, the theory basically states that Miyazaki’s thought process behind Elden Ring Nightreign’s existence is not to milk the Elden Ring IP but to develop a side project that doesn’t require much resources, budget and allows room for failure, which in turn, provides training grounds for their new talent to grow and perform better.

Low-stakes and experimentation are what shaped the upcoming multiplayer title, given that this is a completely different and smaller Elden Ring experience that might not sit well with traditional Soulsborne fans.

Nowadays, the industry is characterised by high development costs, increased video game prices, and higher stakes, which don’t allow developers to always create what they want.

But Nightreign’s smaller team, lower development costs, and a price point of $40 is Miyazaki’s way of not putting everything on the line for one project and simply allowing new developers to learn more about game development in a low-stakes environment where failure is tolerated.

Suppose Nightreign doesn’t do well as their previous titles and fails. That won’t send FromSoftware into bankruptcy or do much damage to the Elden Ring IP because they developed the project with the possibility that it might fail.

When you look at it this way, the theory makes perfect sense, and it also provides a good reason why FromSoftware randomly decided to make a title that’s wildly different from their previous games and smaller in scope. Doesn’t hurt to save money once in a while.

More games should follow Elden Ring Nightreign’s example

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Nightreign guide others | Image Credit: FromSoftware

The video game industry is in absolute shambles right now with price hikes, development costs rising, and companies laying off employees like there’s no tomorrow. In times like these, more companies should follow what FromSoftware is trying to do.

A special mention should be made for Sandfall Interactive’s Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 as well. Developed by a small group of close-knit people and having a price point of $50, the turn-based RPG is now a top contender for winning the Game of the Year award this year, and it has already sold millions of copies, despite being on Game Pass.

A higher budget doesn’t always mean better games. Creativity and passion should always lead the way when it comes to game development, but business executives dull visions and shatter dreams just to make more money.

In a time where games costing $80 are becoming the norm, it’s titles like Elden Ring Nightreign, and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 that remind us where our money and support should be going.

Elden Ring Nightreign launches on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on May 30, 2025.

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