Elden Ring, the forthcoming RPG release from acclaimed Dark Souls developer FromSoftware, has the attention of many high fantasy fans, but recent exploits discovered in the PC versions of the Dark Souls games threatened to spoil the fun. Fortunately, after a period of radio silence, publisher Bandai Namco and FromSoftware have announced that they are aware of and actively working to solve the issue.
In a tweet posted on February 9 on the official Dark Souls Twitter account, From Software confirms that it has been listening to the concerns voiced by many in the community regarding RCE vulnerabilities discovered in the Dark Souls games. RCE—or remote code execution—exploits allow hackers to gain access to and run commands on the PCs of players encountered in-game. This represented a serious security risk for those playing any of the three Dark Souls games online on PC, and some worried that the RCE exploit might affect Elden Ring, as well.
As a result, the online functionality of the Dark Souls games was suspended in January, and, while it may not seem like a huge deal for the uninitiated, PvP and PvE elements are of huge importance to many Dark Souls gamers despite the titles primarily serving as single-player experiences. When played offline, the sense of community, camaraderie, and competition is totally absent, which, for many, is the driving force behind continued replays.
Fortunately, a post from the official Dark Souls Twitter account on February 9 clarified that From Software is aware of the issue and has identified its cause. However, the primary focus seems to be on Elden Ring, which is due out at the end of the month. The post states that From Software has “made sure the necessary security measures are in place for this title on all target platforms,” suggesting that Elden Ring and its online components should be ready to go on February 25. Elden Ring has already gone gold, meaning that a delay was unlikely, though concerns weren't quelled completely until now.
That said, the PC versions of the Dark Souls games seem to be on the back burner for the moment. The post states that, due to the time and resources required to patch the problem, online functionality for the Dark Souls games will not return until after the release of Elden Ring. This may come as a disappointment to avid fans grinding through the games in anticipation for FromSoftware’s forthcoming title, but fans may finally be comforted by the assurance that the "Ultimate Game of All-Time" award-winning Dark Souls game will be back online soon.
