FromSoftware says that its approach to storytelling hasn’t changed with Elden Ring, but it may have expanded. Instead, during a recent preview event, the developers revealed that players will still interpret the lore on their own, but that this time clues can come from talking with the game’s many important NPCs rather than just from things like item text.

As FromSoftware explained during a Q&A, whereas in “Dark Souls, and maybe to a lesser extent Sekiro, you’d be picking up these pieces that talk about the world and allow the player to formulate an idea of the world itself and their place in it, they didn’t often talk to the characters and the people living in that world.”

This isn’t the case in Elden Ring. “With Elden Ring, we have a large number of NPCs and a lot of major players in the story,” FromSoft says.

And just as players picked up pieces of the lore through item text, “things like that are going [to come from] talking to those important NPCs and those important characters, and that way we feel the player is going to learn more about the drama, more about the history of the world,” through interacting and learning more about the many characters in Elden Ring.

The developers hope that this dialogue will help “formulate a more personal and dramatic image of the world.” In fact, FromSoft’s Yasuhiro Kitao goes so far as to say Elden Ring is a “multi-protagonist drama.” Kitao also said that director Hidetaka Miyazaki will be leading the in-game text and dialogue you’ll see in Elden Ring, based on the mythology laid down by collaborator George R.R. Martin.

In an interview with IGN earlier this year, Miyazaki explained how Martin helped create the world and inspired the characters and central drama. And while Martin says his contributions to Elden Ring were done “years ago.”

Either way, it seems that lore hunters obsessed over every detail in FromSoftware games will have to pay extra attention when speaking with the game’s NPCs if they want to uncover the secret of The Lands Between and Elden Ring.

Check out IGN’s Elden Ring preview for a better look at how dungeons will work in Elden Ring or read about how the new summoning mechanic is being designed to not interfere with the game’s difficulty.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.

When Elden Ring was first announced, one of the biggest surprises was how it’s a collaboration between FromSoftware and A Song of Ice and Fire author George R.R. Martin. Since then, more information about the collaboration has come to light and while Martin was responsible for creating the overall world and mythos of Elden Ring, the in-game text is by director Hidetaka Miyazaki.

“In From fashion, the story is told in fragments, and we haven’t changed our principle of providing a world and narrative that the player can interpret for themselves,” FromSoft’s Yasuhiro Kitao says.

And while this means lore can still be discovered by item text and cutscenes, NPC dialogue will also contribute significantly to world-building, and Miyazaki is "at the forefront of the text, writing the text in the game."

In an interview with IGN from earlier this year, Miyazaki explained that Martin helped build the world, including the Lands Between, and central narrative. However, Martin himself said that he finished his contributions to Elden Ring “years ago” and development continued to build on the foundations established by Martin.

Miyazaki praised Martin and said the author’s contributions led Elden Ring to be more character-focused than previous FromSoft games. “He brought things to the table that we couldn’t have done by ourselves, in terms of that rich storytelling and that sense of character and drama.”

Given that Martin’s most famous work involves complicated character dynamics and the way people interact with each other while vying for power, this makes sense. With the open-ended, in-game text handled by Miyazaki, it sounds like fans will get the best of both Miyazaki and Martin’s worlds in Elden Ring.

Check out IGN's full preview of Elden Ring as well as how the new summoning mechanic is being carefully designed to not impact the game's overall difficulty.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.

Elden Ring will have a gameplay mechanic that sounds unlike anything FromSoftware has done before, allowing you to collect the souls of your enemies and summon them in battle. Kind of like Pokemon. But during a hands-off preview and Q&A, FromSoftware assured us that this new mechanic has been carefully balanced to not make Elden Ring easier.

“What we’ve tried to do is design the spirit summons where they’re placed throughout the game and how you will level them up throughout the game in a way that doesn’t make the game just drastically easier whenever you bring them out,” FromSoftware said during a media Q&A event.

In an interview with IGN earlier this year, Elden Ring director Hidetaka Miyazaki explained a new mechanic in Elden Ring where you can summon defeated enemies to help you in battle. These aren’t player NPCs you can summon like in other FromSoft RPGs, but offline AI with their own progression elements.

Summoning AI or online player help during boss fights can make a big difference, but FromSoft says that because of the way summons in Elden Ring are designed, there is a trade-off to using them in the first place.

“It’s up to the player what summons they choose and when, but it’s also up to the player to invest their stat points into the summons if they so choose or into their own character, so it’s a bit of a trade-off there.”

Furthermore, the summons you collect are determined by how you explore and progress through Elden Ring’s massive world, “So it’s not intended to lower the difficulty drastically.”

If past FromSoftware RPGs are any indication, the effect of summoning spirits in your game will likely be down mainly to how you choose to use the system. Summoning AI and online players do help considerably when facing challenging bosses in Dark Souls but it's also a completely optional system. And while it sounds like you can level your summons at the expense of your experience points, any additional tool in your arsenal can only help you in the end.

You can find out more info about Elden Ring in our hands-off preview, how the world-building and lore will now come from the game's many NPCs, and how director Hidetaka Miyazaki is leading the in-game text you'll see in the game.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.

When Elden Ring was first announced, one of the biggest surprises is how it’s a collaboration between FromSoftware and A Song of Ice and Fire author George R.R. Martin. Since then, more information about the collaboration has come to light and while Martin was responsible for creating the overall world and mythos of Elden Ring, the in-game text is being director Hidetaka Miyazaki.

“In From fashion, the story is told in fragments, and we haven’t changed our principle of providing a world and narrative that the player can interpret for themselves,” FromSoft’s Yasuhiro Kitao says.

And while this means lore can still be discovered by item text and cutscenes, NPC dialogue will also contribute significantly to world-building, and Miyazaki is "at the forefront of the text, writing the text in the game."

In an interview with IGN from earlier this year, Miyazaki explained that Martin helped build the world, including the Lands Between, and central narrative. However, Martin himself said that he finished his contributions to Elden Ring “years ago” and development continued to build on the foundations established by Martin.

Miyazaki praised Martin and said the author’s contributions led Elden Ring to be more character-focused than previous FromSoft games. “He brought things to the table that we couldn’t have done by ourselves, in terms of that rich storytelling and that sense of character and drama.”

Given that Martin’s most famous work involves complicated character dynamics and the way people interact with each other while vying for power, this makes sense. With the open-ended, in-game text handled by Miyazaki, it sounds like fans will get the best of both Miyazaki and Martin’s worlds in Elden Ring.

Check out IGN's full preview of Elden Ring as well as how the new summoning mechanic is being carefully designed to not impact the game's overall difficulty.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.

FromSoftware says that its approach to storytelling hasn’t changed with Elden Ring, but it may have expanded. Instead, during a recent preview event, the developers revealed that players will still interpret the lore on their own, but that this time clues can come from talking with the game’s many important NPCs rather than just from things like item text.

As FromSoftware explained during a Q&A, whereas in “Dark Souls, and maybe to a lesser extent Sekiro, you’d be picking up these pieces that talk about the world and allow the player to formulate an idea of the world itself and their place in it, they didn’t often talk to the characters and the people living in that world.”

This isn’t the case in Elden Ring. “With Elden Ring, we have a large number of NPCs and a lot of major players in the story,” FromSoft says.

And just as players picked up pieces of the lore through item text, “things like that are going [to come from] talking to those important NPCs and those important characters, and that way we feel the player is going to learn more about the drama, more about the history of the world,” through interacting and learning more about the many characters in Elden Ring.

The developers hope that this dialogue will help “formulate a more personal and dramatic image of the world.” In fact, FromSoft’s Yasuhiro Kitao goes so far as to say Elden Ring is a “multi-protagonist drama.” Kitao also said that director Hidetaka Miyazaki will be leading the in-game text and dialogue you’ll see in Elden Ring, based on the mythology laid down by collaborator George R.R. Martin.

In an interview with IGN earlier this year, Miyazaki explained how Martin helped create the world and inspired the characters and central drama. And while Martin says his contributions to Elden Ring were done “years ago.”

Either way, it seems that lore hunters obsessed over every detail in FromSoftware games will have to pay extra attention when speaking with the game’s NPCs if they want to uncover the secret of The Lands Between and Elden Ring.

Check out IGN’s Elden Ring preview for a better look at how dungeons will work in Elden Ring or read about how the new summoning mechanic is being designed to not interfere with the game’s difficulty.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.

Nickelodeon All-Stars Brawl, the Smash Bros-like crossover fighting game developed by Ludosity and Fair Play Labs, has announced two new characters in the form of CatDog and April O'Neil.

Following her Gamescom 2021 Opening Night reveal as a playable character in TMNT: Shredders Revenge, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle jumpsuit-wearing news reporter April O'Neil was announced to be joining the roster of characters set to battle it out in Nickelodeon's All-Stars Brawl. O'Neil's reveal trailer saw her back in her iconic yellow look as she showed off an impressive move that features acrobatic flips and split kicks alongside a weaponized microphone.

As previously mentioned, O'Neil isn't the only character that was revealed during the show. NickToons fan favourite CatDog will also be making their appearance when the game debuts this fall. Unlike April O'Neil, CatDog's reveal trailer appears to show a unique combat style that complements both the character's canine and feline capabilities. From a swole Caninius Dog right hook to Felinius Cat battering opponents with a fire hydrant, CatDog looks like a force to be reckoned with.

Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl was initially revealed back in July where it was announced that the game will also feature characters from SpongeBob SquarePants, Rugrats, Ren & Stimpy, Hey Arnold and more when it launches on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch later this year. If you're looking forward to jumping into the cartoon-based brawler then make sure to check out the game's official announcement trailer.

Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

Nickelodeon All-Stars Brawl, the Smash Bros-like crossover fighting game developed by Ludosity and Fair Play Labs, has announced two new characters in the form of CatDog and April O'Neil.

Following her Gamescom 2021 Opening Night reveal as a playable character in TMNT: Shredders Revenge, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle jumpsuit-wearing news reporter April O'Neil was announced to be joining the roster of characters set to battle it out in Nickelodeon's All-Stars Brawl. O'Neil's reveal trailer saw her back in her iconic yellow look as she showed off an impressive move that features acrobatic flips and split kicks alongside a weaponized microphone.

As previously mentioned, O'Neil isn't the only character that was revealed during the show. NickToons fan favourite CatDog will also be making their appearance when the game debuts this fall. Unlike April O'Neil, CatDog's reveal trailer appears to show a unique combat style that complements both the character's canine and feline capabilities. From a swole Caninius Dog right hook to Felinius Cat battering opponents with a fire hydrant, CatDog looks like a force to be reckoned with.

Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl was initially revealed back in July where it was announced that the game will also feature characters from SpongeBob SquarePants, Rugrats, Ren & Stimpy, Hey Arnold and more when it launches on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch later this year. If you're looking forward to jumping into the cartoon-based brawler then make sure to check out the game's official announcement trailer.

Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

Wonder Woman 1984 director Patty Jenkins has commented on the "detrimental" impact of the DC sequel's day-and-date release.

As reported by Deadline, Jenkins shared her thoughts on Wonder Woman 1984's theatrical day-and-date model while speaking on a panel at CinemaCon on Thursday. She reportedly referred to the movie's release as a "heartbreaking experience," even though she acknowledged that it was "the best choice in a bunch of bad choices" at the time.

Warner Bros. announced its industry-shaking approach to distributing movies last year, revealing that the studio's entire 2021 film slate would be available concurrently for an exclusive window on HBO Max. WW84 was released in December, serving as an early test of how blockbuster movies might perform when given a day-and-date release.

The sequel to 2017's Wonder Woman got off to a slow start at the international box office, opening to just $18.8 million in China and a total of $38.5 million overseas. However, it then went on to earn $46.5 million in the U.S. market and $120 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $166.5 million against a $200 million budget.

"It was detrimental to the movie... I knew that could have happened," Jenkins said, referencing the movie's box office performance following its simultaneous release on HBO Max and in theaters. "I don't think it plays the same on streaming, ever. I'm not a fan of day-and-date and I hope to avoid it forever. I make movies for the big-screen experience."

Jenkins also affirmed that she would never make a movie for Netflix or any other streaming service, given the fact that those movies typically only get a short time in theaters before segueing to streaming. She admitted that "it's hard to market a movie when it has a limited run," whereas television is something that she likes working on with the streaming giant.

The release of WW84 on HBO Max helped to double the streamer's subscriber numbers in the fourth quarter of last year, with an estimated 554,000 users signing up between December 25 and December 27 alone. In addition, WarnerMedia noted that "nearly half" of its HBO Max subscriber base watched the superhero sequel on the day of its release.

Warner Bros. has already confirmed that Wonder Woman 3 is in development with director Patty Jenkins and lead star Gal Gadot both set to return, so you might want to check out 7 of the biggest WTF questions we had after watching the Wonder Woman sequel and read our explainer of the ending and how the movie could change the DCEU.

Adele Ankers is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.

Sports clothing and footwear brand Puma has announced a new collaboration with Nintendo, which will see the company release its very own Animal Crossing New Horizons-inspired sneakers.

As revealed in a first look on Sneaker Freaker, the wild world of footwear is about to reach new horizons with Puma announcing its new Animal Crossing-themed Wild Rider footwear collection. No release date or price has been revealed.

Pairing Animal Crossing's natural color palette with a range of charming character icons from New Horizons, the sneakers are up there with some of the best Animal Crossing collaborations to come from Nintendo. In addition to nods to the game's tone and characters, the sneakers' suede paneling gives them a more robust feel whilst Puma's trademark side stripe completes the look.

With muted Animal Crossing branding implemented across the design of the shoe, without garishly overdoing it, the upcoming shoes look to be a welcome addition to the world of video game-inspired fashion. Other clothing wil also be part of the Animal Crossing x Puma reveal, with a hoodie also shown off. According to Sneaker Freaker, clothing from the collab will feature styles for both adults and children when it's released.

This isn't the first clothing collab to come out of Nintendo in recent years. In October, we saw the worlds of Animal Crossing and Mario feature in a collection from Australian-based brand BlackMilk Clothing. Meanwhile, last March, Nintendo and Levi announced a Mario-inspired denim collection that included overalls, pants, jackets, and more.

With the latest collaboration between Puma and Animal Crossing set to be a stylish one, perhaps someone ought to notify Tom Nook that the housing market might not be his most lucrative business venture after all.

Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

Even before release, Halo Infinite's seen a lot of praise for its approach to Battle Passes, which will never expire, and can be paid for at any time after they're released, meaning no player should have a fear of missing what's on offer within. However, a new clarification about how players will progress through those Battle Passes hasn't been received as warmly.

In the latest Inside Infinite news post from developer 343, head of design Jerry Hook addressed how the recent technical preview handled its Battle Pass, where players progressed by completing in-game daily challenges. While doing so, Hook said, "Using challenges, our goal is that you will always be earning progress in your Battle Pass through playing and winning matches."

Most other games' Battle Passes use an XP-based system to progress, with everything from wins in Fortnite to sailing nautical miles in Sea of Thieves tied to numerical points, which allow you to level up a Pass. Halo Infinite, it seems, will tie all of its progression to completing challenges instead and, following the post, fans on Twitter sought some clarity.

Community manager John Junyszek confirmed that point: "Playing and winning matches will be challenges, which will help players progress through the Battle Pass. Even though this means no per-match XP at launch, you're still always progressing through challenges and therefore the BP."

That choice has some fans worried, as tying progressing to specific actions, rather than general play, could cause multiplayer matches to become unbalanced, with players seeking to complete their specific challenges rather than playing normally. It's a concern expressed elegantly by kami102 on Reddit:

"I'm not trying to be negative but one thing I noticed a lot in the flight was that a lot of challenges were like [Get 15 kills with the Needler]. On it's own [sic], it's not bad, when it's just an optional bonus where after time you unlock it after getting 15 Needler kills through normal gameplay.

"But when you make it so that [Get 15 kills with the Needler] is on your challenge list and it's the ONLY way to get XP to level up your BattlePass then it completely breaks the flow of your gameplay and the weapon sandbox.

"You are then essentially ignoring the weapon sandbox, and instead joining the game with the sole focus of getting kills with the Needler to complete the challenge. You're camping the Needler spawn point every time, you're ignoring all other weapons on the map now because the only objective is to get kills with the Needler. And that's just you. What if 3 of your teammates also have a Needler challenge? Now the 3 of you are fighting over control for a Needler because all 3 of you need the challenge.

"That's breaking the flow of gameplay, and breaking the weapon sandbox. That's why this decision is terrible."

Kami102's point has been echoed across social media, with many players expressing their concern about the decision. While the challenge progression approach seems to be set in stone for launch, Jerry Hook did join the conversation to say that the system could be changed in future, and 343 is listening to the feedback: "We're always looking at ways to expand progression across the board. We'll have more to share about the outcomes from key Tech Preview feedback, including this, in an upcoming blog on Waypoint."

Junyszek did take the time to counter another worry from the community – that daily challenges could feasibly be so limited that progression felt time-gated, forcing you to come back every day to make sure your Battle Pass moved along. While there won't be an endless number of challenges per day, there will seemingly be a lot to get through, and more than enough for most players.

"The Tech Preview had an issue that caused people to run out of challenges", the community manager explained. "Our current plans for launch, while not 'infinite,' mean it's extremely difficult to run out daily challenges. I won't say 'impossible,' cause [sic] there are some grinders out there, but I'd be impressed."

With just a few months before release, it feels unlikely that 343 will make sweeping changes to its plans for multiplayer at launch, but we've seen the company make major changes to games after launch before (see: the entirety of The Master Chief Collection), so it's not outside the realms of possibility that we'd see a shift to this idea one day.

If you're counting down the days until Halo Infinite's release (or just a new technical preview you might get into), why not check out whether your PC can run the game, or our thoughts on the first hands-on. Just don't go dreaming about Forge mode or campaign co-op, as they aren't going to be in the game at launch.

Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.