Tencent is said to be working on adapting Elden Ring for mobile devices and is looking to turn it into a free-to-play game. Elden Ring Mobile (not an official name), would use micro-transactions to bring in revenue. Not surprising given Tencent’s history in the gaming industry and its penchant for inserting mtx into most of its games. But an interesting choice given the property. Elden Ring is developed by FromSoftware. A company renowned for titles like Dark Souls, and the more recently launched Elden Ring an Armored Core VI.
FromSoftware is also famously known for releasing games in a complete state. This means you get everything for one price. You might pay for an expansion at some point down the line (unless we’re talking about Sekiro). But there are no micro-transactions to be found and more often than not there are some free content updates. Tencent choosing to take Elden Ring by the hand and walk it right into the free-to-play micro-transaction territory would be in stark contrast to everything FromSoftware is generally known (and well-liked) for.
Tencent acquired the rights for an Elden Ring mobile game in 2022
According to Reuters, which first reported on the mobile adaption of FromSoftware’s dark fantasy epic, Tencent acquired the licensing rights to port the game to mobile back in 2022, around the same time it acquired a 16% stake in FromSoftware. But so far it’s been a slow process in getting things going. People familiar with the matter said after acquiring the licensing rights that year, Tencent “set up a team of a few dozen people to work on a prototype.”
With progress being slow, it’s unclear how far along development might be. It is also reportedly a prototype that was being worked on. So regardless of progress, everything could be scrapped once full development begins. If it ends up going forward.
If Tencent does end up making this game, it’ll be one of a handful of titles from big franchises which Tencent has licensed the rights for. PUBG Mobile is perhaps its most successful licensed game to date. But it also handled Call of Duty: Mobile until Activision ended the partnership with Tencent back in 2020.
Outside of those two games, Tencent also owns Level Infinite which is publishing the upcoming Assassin’s Creed Jade. It also has a hand in an upcoming Need for Speed game for mobile which is currently in closed beta. Elden Ring sold about 20.5 million copies within its first year after release. So it’s no surprise that Tencent probably wants to capitalize on that opportunity to tap into a popular IP.
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