Introduction: The FromSoftware developers, along with the publishing arm of Bandai Namco, recently launched their latest soulslike game – Elden Ring Nightreign. However, unlike so many of their previous titles, this game is all about its multiplayer mode, more precisely the cooperative play feature. In a procedurally generated world, the release provides a chance for a three-person team to enter a place of wonders and horrors, with the aim of defeating the final boss. So far, the reactions of the game critics and the public alike have been mostly positive, but it is clear that FromSoftware has big plans for this multiplayer game. If Nightreign manages to succeed, it could open up a new era of multiplayer games, where co-op features go hand in hand with deep mechanics and longer-lasting play sessions.
Article: In the global gaming community, soulslike games are something that is often a very polarising topic. For some, these games that demand a high technical proficiency in dealing with challenging boss-like enemies, represent the pinnacle of action gaming. Others, however, find the same mechanics of needing to learn through endless failure something that is beyond frustrating. But, few gamers have not heard of the soulslike genre and that is all due to one Japanese developer, FromSoftware. This company, which was initially established in 1986, managed to build a stellar reputation over the decades with its Dark Souls series. Here, the company’s engineers and game designers defined and then perfected the core gameplay mechanics of the soulslike games, branching out into several series. The last of these, which is according to many the company’s very best, is Elden Ring.
On one hand very narratively streamlined, even to the point of being nearly storyless, but on the other, infinitely complex in its possible playstyles, Elden Ring is for millions a perfect soulslike game. With the big success of the main title and its DLC Shadow of the Erdtree, FromSoftware quickly decided that the gaming public wanted more action in the same franchise. This was the moment when the work on Elden Ring Nightreign began. Now, at the end of May 2025, the game was officially launched on Steam for the PC platform, but also for Xbox and PlayStation consoles. But, unlike other FromSoftware single-player games, Nightreign is a procedurally generated cooperative multiplayer title. The change of mechanics was unexpected but provided something that is a must-try to soulslike gamers, while at the same time, potentially interesting to multiplayer fans. That mix of appealing factors could turn the title into a big coop hit, but also a long-term cash generator for the FromSoftware team.
Three Nights in Limveld
The concept of the Nightreign is broadly similar to any battle royale game that came to global prominence in the 2010s. In each match or run, three players drop onto a procedurally generated map in the world of Limveld. Here, they have to spend three days and three nights, while the playing area quickly shrinks around them. Each day brings a night that has a boss figure, while the objective of the players is to together defeat the final boss. All the while, they gather loot, take on smaller monsters and enemies, rank up, and try to be in the best possible state for the final showdown. The game presently does not have many additional modes, like duos where two players play instead of three. Instead, FromSoftware focused on a three-person experience that can run anywhere between 15 minutes and go all the way to a better part of an hour.
Genre Fusion
The creation of Elden Ring Nightreign included the relatively simple process of merging two key genres, both of which are extremely popular among the gamer community. The first one is the soulslike gameplay mechanics of combat, experience, and general RPG elements of character building. However, the developers turned these on their heads by adding the battle royale concept of a shrinking playing field. This is supplemented by the time pressure of boosting one’s character not just with an ideal build in mind, but with the elements that are available to the players in that particular run. That is why Nightreign goes beyond a simple souslike battle royale and provides players with several layers of decision-making. So far, it seems that the audience is reacting positively to this fusion, with the game racking nearly 300,000 concurrent players on Steam on its first day.
FromSoftware Risks
The gamble that FromSoftware took on with Nightreign was the procedurally generated element. In soulslike games, many elements of level design and enemy difficulty are precisely set up and tested mercilessly to get the optional results. In this multiplayer setting, that process is impossible and the creation of each run in Limveld boils down to the procedural generation of not just the world itself, but the points of interest, loot quality and quantity, as well as the monsters and bosses themselves. The risk here was that the setup would turn away veteran soulslike players, especially those who were accustomed to losing to an enemy hundreds of times before they managed to finally prevail. But, the risk seems to be paying off and the players are enjoying the unknown that each run brings. At the same time, the team behind the game will undoubtedly continue to streamline and tweak the procedural generation process.
Forever Games
There was another big element of the risks that the developers and publishers of Nightreign took on with this game. In the past couple of years, it became clear that the biggest PC and console titles in the world are what are called forever games. These titles, which include very famous releases like League of Legends, Fortnite, Minecraft, and Roblox, provide a platform for players that lasts not months, but years. Forever games are the familiar and well-loved spaces where players regularly return and Nightreign has a shot of becoming such a sanctuary for soulslike fans. After all, FromSoftware and Bandai Namco have the technical know-how and support structures to keep a game like that going indefinitely. The benefits for the developer and publisher are clear, especially keeping in mind the current turbulence in the global gaming market. At the same time, the uniqueness of the Elden Ring franchise is also protecting the game from any would-be competitors that might try to ride the wake of its success. Naturally, it will take at least a year to determine whether or not Nightreign has what it takes to theoretically become a forever game. For now, it clearly has what it takes to grip the attention of tens of thousands in its dangerous macabre renditions of Limveld.
Eldin Ring Nightreign is available on Steam, Xbox and PS5
Author: Ivica Milaric, game designer and assistant professor of game design at the Novi Sada Academy of Arts, Republic of Serbia