Hidetaka Miyazaki’s smoothie of different FromSoftware franchises is the same feat Ubisoft struggled to accomplish with XDefiant.

Bringing two or more franchises together can be a big hit or a miss for the players, and it seems FromSoftware is willing to take that gamble with their upcoming title, Elden Ring Nightreign. However, knowing how it all went down with Ubisoft and their failed ‘COD Killer,’ XDefiant, is it what Hidetaka Miyazaki should really be going after?

Main Cover for Elden Ring Nightreign | Image Credit FromSoftware

When Elden Ring first came out, it took the gaming world by storm, blending intricate world-building and the punishing gameplay the director is known for with open-world exploration. And its spiritual successor, Nightreign, is now here to mix elements from all of FromSoftware’s major franchises.

Elden Ring Nightreign and the struggle to not end up like XDefiant

Elden Ring Nightreign will potentially have to navigate the same challenges as XDefiant | FromSoftware

XDefiant was Ubisoft’s ambitious attempt to create a first-person shooter that pulled characters, factions, and mechanics from its major franchises like Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell, Ghost Recon, and The Division. The idea was simple: a crossover experience that offered fan service while showcasing the studio’s diverse portfolio. Unfortunately, the execution didn’t really go as planned.

However, unlike Ubisoft, FromSoftware has an ace up its sleeve: a consistent thematic and gameplay philosophy across its titles. Whether it’s the gothic horror of Bloodborne, the feudal Japanese setting of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, or the medieval fantasy of Dark Souls, FromSoftware’s games share a core DNA.

While many elements from these titles have already made a subtle appearance in Elden Ring, Nightreign, on the other hand, seems to directly borrow some parts of the older games, including much-missed bosses such as the Nameless King from the Dark Souls franchise.

Lessons Learned From XDefiant’s Mishap

XDefiant’s About To Meet Its Unfortunate End As Operations Shutdown | Ubisoft

As one could have guessed, there was more than one reason that led to the visionary FPS’s downfall, starting with how the game struggled to establish an identity of its own. While the game managed a big smoothie of all the studio’s biggest franchises yet, it failed to bring a flavor of its own, failing to deliver as unique of an experience as one would expect from an up-and-coming FPS.

Fortunately, in Elden Ring Nightreign’s case, it launches under a well-established franchise and might as well be seen as an extension to the first game by many of the players.

FromSoftware’s Elden Ring Nightreign aims to offer an official co-op experience between three players set in a universe parallel to The Lands Between. The title is already under its network testing phase and is scheduled to be released later this year.