FromSoftwarehas earned itself an indomitable reputation with seminal games and emergent experiences that iterate upon its gameplay formulas. It cannot be overstatedhow muchElden Ringbrought to the open-world action-RPG genre, for example, and it will be exciting how it inspires others in the next several years. Before it, games likeDemon’s Souls,Dark Souls,Bloodborne, andSekiro: Shadows Die Twicehave also all made an individual impact on the industry.
FromSoftware could have easily chosen to stick to this formula of gameplay and world-building, but it has recently demonstrated that it is unafraid to look back on its decorated history and provide players with new experiences that they may be unfamiliar with.FromSoftware fans now have a newArmored Coregame to look forward to in 2023, but it might be a relatively quiet year for its popular Soulsborne genre unlessElden Ringreceives DLC.
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Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon Releases Sometime in 2023
In what was maybe the last thing fans would expect to see this soon from FromSoftware, it was announced at December’s The Game Awards thatArmored Core 6: Fires of Rubiconis scheduled to launch in 2023. This is surprising since that release window would already put it out in the next 12 months.
However, Hidetaka Miyazaki reportedly confirmed last summer thatFromSoftware’s next game was already in the final stages of development. It is clear now that the game isArmored Core 6, and it could launch soon depending on how far along FromSoftware is with it at this point. It is always possible thatArmored Core 6could be delayed, but for now it seems safe to assume that it will be released this year.
Fans Shouldn’t Expect the Soulsborne Formula from Armored Core 6
Armored Coreis a bounteous franchisewith 15 games that include mainline or numbered entries as well as a reboot in the third and fourth installments, convoluting its chronological timeline. But despite having a wide catalog of mech-shooter games, it would be surprising ifArmored Corewas what fans knew FromSoftware for.
FromSoftware’sSoulsgameshave become so seminal that other developers’ imitations of them are dubbed Soulslikes. The formula for these games and their counterparts is simple: players lose resources when they are slain and have to return to where they met their demise, whether they are exploring and encounter a mob of enemies or wind up in a tremendous boss fight.
It is therefore plausible that fans would be interested inArmored Core 6: Fires of Rubiconbased solely on their warm reception toElden Ring—instead, newfound fans whose first foray into FromSoftware isElden Ringwould be wrong to think thatArmored Corewill be anything like it. There is hardly any chance that FromSoftware’s return toArmored Coremeans that its attention has shifted wholly, considering how profoundly successfulElden Ringis, butArmored Core 6will probably be a lot of FromSoftware fans’ firstArmored Coregame.
Therefore, there will be a learning curve for fans in terms of how differentArmored Core’s gameplay is.Armored Corefeatures shooter combat in giant titular mechs with mech customization and a mission system. It will be interesting to see if FromSoftware’s recent games influence new features inArmored Core6at all, but fans would be right to expect an experience that is entirely separate from what they know about FromSoftware’s action-RPGs.
The Potential for Elden Ring DLC Remains on Everyone’s Minds
Excitement regarding potentialElden RingDLC has been high since FromSoftware’s open-world epic released last year.Elden Ring’s PvP updatewas satisfying for some fans, but others are still greatly anticipating a full-blown narrative expansion like the games before it have all had with more bosses, locations, and other additional content. IfElden RingDLC is going to come out, it would seemingly be expected within the year.
Dark Souls 3’s final DLC, The Ringed City, did not launch until a year after the base game’s release. That said,Elden Ringis soon closing in on its own anniversaryand there is still no word on any potential DLC for it. DLC could still supposedly launch in the unforeseeable future, but the likelihood ofElden Ringhaving a narrative DLC expansion will dwindle further into 2023 and become a pipe dream by next year.
Fans Shouldn’t Expect Anything About Bloodborne
Speaking of FromSoftware pipe dreams,Bloodbornefans have wanted a dedicated PC port, a 60FPS upgrade patch on PS5, or a full-fledged remake for some time now. Like Capcom remakingResident Evil 4with modern fidelity on current-gen consoles,Bloodborneis an obvious choice for a PlayStation cash-grab.
PlayStation may indeed be holdingBloodbornetight to its chest for a rainy day when it needs to make an exorbitant amount of money, and that would certainly be the game to do it with. In the meantime, other PlayStation-exclusive games have gone on to receive their own official PC ports and remakes, while unofficial 60FPS mods and PS1-inspired demakes have been the community’s responsibility to make.
Still, there have not been any rumors that strongly substantiate such a port or remake being made. Going into this year, fans would like to still be hopeful aboutBloodborne’s future—with some fans wanting a decent port more than they would like an actual sequel. Unfortunately, a sequel is just as unlikely at this point in time.
If aBloodbornePC port does get announced this year then that would be a cause for celebration, but expecting that a port, remake, or sequel will be announced with no tangible evidence of one would be ill-advised.FromSoftwareis still expected to have a fantastic 2023 with the release ofArmored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon, and that launch will be even more special if it can appeal to the developer’s new batch of devoted fans.
Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubiconwill be released in 2023 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
MORE:What Dark Souls Fans Need to Know About Armored Core Before Fires of Rubicon
