Summary
Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree expansionis nearly upon us, and manyFromSoftwarefans are returning to the game in advance of its release. Of course,there’s also others, like Kai Cenat, who are jumping into The Lands Between for the first time. Either way,Elden Ringis back at the forefront of gamers' minds, and for good reason. After all,it was one of 2022’s best-selling and best reviewed titles.
That said, some people are making their way throughElden Ring through a co-op mod only available on PC. Titled “Seamless Co-Op,“the mod does exactly what its namesake implies. It allows players to partner up with a friend and play the entirety of Elden Ring from tutorial to ending together without a hitch. The mod is a novel idea that helps players conquer the unforgiving world with some help, while also offering a glimpse of what a cooperative FromSoftware title could look like.
While some Soulsborne enthusiasts may scoff at the idea of teaming up to take down bosses, the reality is the “Seamless Co-Op” mod is a neat development. It eliminates another barrier of entry for curious players, while also offering a glimpse of what a fully-fledged cooperative title could look like. And as it turns out, FromSoftware president Hidetaka Miyazaki doesn’t mind.
Miyazaki And FromSoftware Don’t Oppose Co-Op Mod
In an exclusive interview with PC Gamer, FromSoftware president Hidetaka Miyazaki shared his thoughts about the “Seamless Co-Op” mod and cooperative play in general. The short of it is that FromSoftware doesn’t oppose the mod, it’s just that cooperative play wasn’t a focal point of Elden Ring. Because while Elden Ring does allow players to summon a companion for assistance, the experience is meant to be a one-off.
“It’s definitely not something we actively oppose or want to downplay, wanting to go through the whole game together,” Miyazaki said. “In terms of where we were with Elden Ring, it was simply a case of wanting that more loose, casual style – drop in, defeat a boss, drop out. It doesn’t put any technical restrictions on the player, it just sort of lets them complete this focus and then move on, so to speak.”
As mentioned above, the “Seamless Co-Op” mod offers a glimpse at what a cooperative FromSoftware title could play like. For example, via the mod, when a player dies, they’ll respawn at the last bonfire they rested at without terminating the session. More so, players can split if they so choose and online progression carries over into a player’s own world.
So would FromSoftware consider a co-op game? Well, that’s a bit complicated. “That’s not to say we won’t consider other ways like you and your friend played, from beginning to end, total co-op,” Miyazaki explained. “That’s not to say we won’t consider ideas like that with our future games.”
In other words, it’s a consideration. But Miyazaki, as secretive as ever, won’t divulge whether that will happen or not. Here’s hoping we’ll see a full co-op Soulsborne title down the line.
