Elden Ring is larger and more complex than originally planned

Elden Ring director Hidetaka Miyazaki has spoken at length to Famitsu about the game's world.

Being From Software's first open-world game, Elden Ring is bigger than any of the developer's previous titles to date. According to Miyazaki, as reported by Frontline, with Elden Ring, the developer thought big from the beginning, setting out from the start to make the project its largest ever game. The final result was a game greater and more ambitious than initially planned.

The increased size and skill of the development team meant that it was able to add scale and complexity to Elden Ring that wasn't possible before but still deliver the same level of quality that fans have come to expect from the studio.

Given the size of The Lands Between, the developer felt it necessary to give players a convenient way to explore, and so our trusty steed Torrent was born. According to Miyazaki, horse travel wasn't added simply as a means of getting around the world faster horizontally, but vertically too, thanks to Spirit Springs and the double jump. He also reveals that making Torrent a spectral steed was for convenience so players could instantly summon and dismiss their handy companion when needed.

During the interview, Miyazaki also discussed Sekiro's impact on Elden Ring. He explained that, as the two games were worked on simultaneously, Sekiro didn't directly impact the newer game. Any influence it did have came from the fact that Miyazaki worked as game director on both titles.

Despite the game's remarkable success, Miyazaki claims he was nervous about releasing Elden Ring.