George R. R. Martin says he finished his work on Elden Ring ‘years ago’

Game of Thrones author George R. R. Martin says his work on Elden Ring was finished years ago.

Martin was talking to WTTW News Chicago and was asked about his involvement in FromSoftware‘s upcoming title.

“My work on it was actually done years ago,” Martin explained. “These games, they’re like movies, they take a long time to develop.

“Basically, they wanted a world created to set the game in. World building is a big factor in fantasy and science fiction. You’re not only talking characters and the plot, but the setting is almost as important as everything else: Tolkien’s Middle-Earth, Robert E. Howard’s Hyborian Age, the foundation universe of Isaac Asimov.

“I worked up a fairly detailed background for them and then they took it from there. So really it’s been several years since I last seen them but they would come and periodically show me some monsters they’d designed or the latest special effects, or [other] cool things.

“The game has been slowly developing and now it’s coming out in January, I believe, so I’ll be as excited as anybody else to see it.”

Last week FromSoftware premiered the first Elden Ring footage since its announcement two years ago.

The trailer debuted during Summer Game Fest Kickoff Live, where it was confirmed that the title will release on January 21, 2022 for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC.

Elden Ring takes place in a world called the Lands Between, which was created in collaboration with Martin, who was tasked with creating the game’s lore.

Further reading

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Players are free to customise their character using a character creator similar to that found in the Dark Souls series.

Whatever their appearance and chosen attributes, they will take on the role of one of many Tarnished individuals, whose ancestors were exiled from the Lands Between many years ago.

But when the Elden Ring is shattered, they get the chance to return and conquer the land they were once banished from.

The Lands Between is mainly made up of six large areas ruled by demigods, characters also written by Martin, who serve as the game’s main bosses and don’t have to be tackled in a set order. Elden Ring supports fast travel and will also include a hub area accessible partway through the game.