Elden Ring is reportedly getting a free-to-play mobile port with Genshin Impact-style microtransactions

Elden Ring is reportedly being turned into a mobile game at Tencent, although progress has been slow. 

Earlier today, February 6, Reuters reporter Josh Ye claimed that Tencent had acquired the licensing rights to Elden Ring back in 2022, and had since been working to turn it into a mobile game. According to the reporter, this would be a free-to-play version of the FromSoftware game, apparently with in-game purchases and microtransactions.

If this is reminding you of Genshin Impact, that’s very deliberate. Tencent is reportedly eyeing the HoYoverse game as inspiration for the new version of Elden Ring, but because this version is so different to FromSoftware’s original game, progress in adapting it for a new format has apparently been slow under Tencent.

As Ye points out, this isn’t the first time Tencent has attempted to adapt an existing series from another developer into a mobile game. It apparently scrapped a new Nier mobile game last year over monetization concerns - the fact that a Nier mobile game already exists in Nier Reincarnation seemingly didn’t help matters. 

In terms of Elden Ring itself, millions of people around the world are still holding their breath for an announcement regarding the Elden Ring DLC, which was first unveiled around a year ago. There hasn’t been any news on the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion since then, and a recent slate of backend updates for Elden Ring on Steam haven’t helped temper expectations of an imminent announcement.

An Elden Ring player recently beat Malenia without dodging a single attack, if you’re wondering at what stage of longing the player base is currently at.