A leaked Elden Ring trailer is being actively circulated in online chat groups, VGC can confirm.
The video, which has been seen by VGC but cannot be shared for legal reasons, is labelled as 'Bandai Namco confidential' and shows a significant amount of off-screen footage, from what appears to be a planned gameplay trailer for the From Software title.
The video leak represents the first significant update on Elden Ring since it was announced in June 2019, and the first time anyone has seen gameplay outside of its publisher or developer.
"I can only imagine what drives you to seek the Elden Ring," a narrator says in the trailer. "I suppose you can't be talked into turning back. Very well then!"
The gameplay footage then shows a montage of familiar Souls-style melee combat, boss battles against a fire-breathing dragon and a large, sword-wielding foe, and a glimpse at horseback combat in a large, open environment.
The trailer calls Elden Ring "an all-new fantasy action RPG franchise from the creators of Dark Souls, Bloodborne and Sekiro".
Since the off-screen clip seen by VGC seemingly only shows a portion of the trailer, there is no release date mentioned. However, we understand Elden Ring has already been delayed several times internally due to disruption caused by the pandemic.
People with knowledge of the game's development told VGC that production has been significantly hampered by remote working restrictions, which have been in place for nearly a year. One person close to the game's development said that, due to the disruption, they believed it was unlikely Elden Ring would make it out this year.
However, the fact that a trailer is being circulated online suggests that an official reveal might not be far away. More than one high-profile games reporter has recently suggested that publisher Bandai Namco Entertainment will soon lift the lid on Elden Ring.
GamesBeat reporter Jeff Grubb said on Friday that he'd heard the title was being planned for an unveiling soon. Bloomberg's Jason Schreier echoed the comments, stating that there was "strong evidence" the game would be shown soon.
Xbox's marketing boss denied this weekend that Elden Ring could be revealed at an Xbox event this month.
Responding to a press article speculating on the reveal, Aaron Greenberg wrote: "Just to set expectations: this is not happening. There are always things we have in the works, but nothing coming soon that would feature game announcements or world premieres like this.
