Highlights
- The announcement of Shadow of the Erdtree, a major Elden Ring DLC, has fans eagerly waiting for its release and speculating about its contents.
- Releasing the DLC in February like the original game would make a big impact and add more competition to a month full of big game releases.
- FromSoftware's silence about the DLC may be strategic, and dropping news of a planned February release date shortly before release would generate excitement and start the new year off with a bang.
Elden Ring's release back in 2022 raised the bar for the fantasy action RPGs that followed thanks to the game's incredible success. The game's impact on the genre is hard to argue, and it showed the gaming world that FromSoftware is truly a master of its signature style of game. Elden Ring has spawned a craving for similar titles, and that's why the announcement of Shadow of the Erdtree, a major Elden Ring DLC, has a lot of fans eagerly waiting for its release. Although there has yet to be any release date revealed for the DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree could potentially break the internet in the same fashion as Elden Ring itself.
There is clearly a mountain of speculation towering over the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC and its contents, and the secrecy of its release date has left a lot of fans waiting with bated breath. It's no shock that a game as successful as Elden Ring is creating a great amount of hype when it comes to its first DLC, and the passage of time will only make that hype stronger. However, with hopes that Shadow of the Erdtree releases in early 2024, Elden Ring's DLC has a chance to set the internet ablaze just like it did in February 2022.
Shadow of the Erdtree Releasing in February 2024 Would Be a Power Move
Just like February 2022, the month of February in 2024 is arguably just as stacked in terms of game releases. Not only did Elden Ring release in February 2022, but so did Horizon Forbidden West. These were two of the biggest releases of the year, and February 2024 is starting to set up as one of the biggest release months for games next year. The long-awaited Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League will finally be releasing after a series of delays while Persona 3 Reload is releasing the exact same day on February 2. These two games are big enough releases alone, but there is even more planned for February.
Other titles coming in February include Helldivers 2, Tomb Raider Remastered, and Mario vs. Donkey Kong, with Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth closing out the jam-packed month with a bang. When looking back at 2022, Elden Ring releasing in a packed month was a wild way to start the year off, and FromSoftware could be setting Shadow of the Erdtree up to make even bigger waves for 2024. Not only would releasing Elden Ring's DLC in February 2024 make the gaming world go wild, but it would be a major power move.
If FromSoftware is actually planning on releasing Shadow of the Erdtree in February, it would be a huge show of confidence in how the developer sees its work, but it would also make a lot of sense. It would make sense for FromSoftware to release the game's DLC in the same month that the original game launched. There is a lot of speculation on how Shadow of the Erdtree could change Elden Ring's story, and if gamers have to choose between several big titles in February, many will choose Shadow of the Erdtree as their main purchase.
For many waiting for the DLC, it feels as though Shadow of the Erdtree is in limbo, but this could have been FromSoftware's strategy all along. The developer might wait until just a few months, or even weeks, out from February to drop some jaw-dropping news about a planned February release date. If this is the case, the internet is likely to go wild, and it would be a great way to start the new year off with a bang.
Elden Ring is currently available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
