George R.R. Martin wrote Elden Ring's 'overarching mythos'

If you were wondering how involved George R.R. Martin was with FromSoftware's next game, Elden Ring, it sounds like he played a big part. 

Yesterday, we picked some juicy details out of a Microsoft interview with FromSoftware president Hidetaka Miyazaki—namely that Elden Ring will be very big—but there are more details on the collaboration to discuss.

In the interview, Miyazaki says he's a big Martin fan, and wasn't sure the author would want to collaborate. "I am still unable to put into words how grateful I am to Mr. Martin for agreeing to our offer," he said.

When they got to work, Miyazaki began by explaining his overall vision to Martin, describing "what sorts of themes, ideas, as well as many game-related aspects" he envisioned.

"This allowed us to have many free and creative conversations regarding the game," said Miyazaki, "in which Mr. Martin later used as a base to write the overarching mythos for the game world itself."

So to call Martin a 'consultant' might be an understatement, as it sounds like he's responsible for Elden Ring's founding lore. 

"This mythos proved to be full of interesting characters and drama along with a plethora of mystical and mysterious elements as well," said Miyazaki. "It was a wonderful source of stimulus for me and the development staff. Elden Ring’s world was constructed using this mythos and stimulus as a base. Even I myself find it hard to contain my excitement from time to time. We hope that everyone else is looking forward to the world we have created."

We don't know much about Elden Ring apart from what we've learned in this interview, and what we can see in the cinematic trailer above, which is effortlessly dramatic. One other fun behind-the-scenes detail: Miyazaki was a huge GRRM fan, but didn't think there was a chance the author would actually agree to work on the game.

Tyler Wilde
Executive Editor

Tyler grew up in Silicon Valley during the '80s and '90s, playing games like Zork and Arkanoid on early PCs. He was later captivated by Myst, SimCity, Civilization, Command & Conquer, all the shooters they call "boomer shooters" now, and PS1 classic Bushido Blade (that's right: he had Bleem!). Tyler joined PC Gamer in 2011, and today he's focused on the site's news coverage. His hobbies include amateur boxing and adding to his 1,200-plus hours in Rocket League.