Elden Ring Nightreign will not enable the players to leave messages for each other, a top FromSoftware official has told us. The developer's decision to remove the company's classic feature in Elden Ring Nightreign was economically motivated.
The option to construct select words together in order to make other people aware of your messages has always been a part of FromSoftware's reference set. The peculiar example here is that it has often been used to help, to make a trap like "hidden path ahead," or to make a smiles and giggling micro-story. This generated a ton of engagement, as you take out a steady source of player messages that are certainly a good referent of the modern Soulsborne experience. Some fans will be upset by the way.
Yet, the characteristic of gaining the hearts of fans is just a part of what makes this feature so beloved by the fans. It is not coming back in Elden Ring Nightreign. Junya Ishizaki, the game designer, confirmed this in an interview with IGN Japan on January 3rd. Concerning this, Ishizaki said that a major reason why it was omitted was that an asynchronous messaging system would not have been the right fit for the multiplayer-first design of the game, and also using Elden Ring Nightreign would not allow players to spend their time.
Even though an average Elden Ring battle could easily last throughout the day, the short time period given for Nightreign has forced FromSoftware to propose games within smaller length sessions, each a mere 40 minutes. It's for this reason that, due to the very short time given, most of the battles we conduct will be very intense, so the developer decided to delete the system for the in-game messaging in order to give the players more streamlined and more accelerated playing.
However, the game would not be devoid of asynchronous mechanics. To the contrary, some vintage community features have already been confirmed to be making a return. The bloodstain mechanic will return in Elden Ring Nightreign stronger than ever, allowing players to not only see how their peers died but even loot their ghosts.
By placing restrictions on interpersonal communication through the removal of the messaging system, it seems that FromSoftware is in harmony with the game's vision, which is to provide a continuously high, multiplayer-ready game in contrast to the first one. Moreover, the realization of the game's periodicity is also part of that. Speaking to IGN Japan, Ishizaki mentioned that the purpose of From Software was to give "a compressed RPG" with enough diversity and minimum spare time.
Elden Ring Nightreign's TGA 2024 reveal trailer has just announced the game's release date in 2025. Yet, the exact time is still not confirmed by the leading entertainment companies, FromSoftware and Bandai Namco.