Elden Ring may not be released before April 2022

We have no idea when Elden Ring will be released, but it doesn't look like that's going to be anytime soon.

Elden Ring, FromSoftware's next big project, has been nothing more than a dream only the studio's most loyal fans have kept alive. Since the game's reveal in 2019, not a single official word about it has been said.

Unfortunately for everyone, it looks like this will continue to be the case for the foreseeable future. Kadokawa Corp., the parent company of developer FromSoftware, has published its earnings forecast for the full fiscal year, ending March 31, 2022.

In its FY2022 forecast [PDF] (via TweakTown), Kadokawa reveals that it's expecting low earnings from its game division, around a 15% drop in net sales, and a whopping 52% in earnings. Indeed, the company's entire forecast for FY2022 can be seen as conservative, as the uncertainty around the impact of the coronavirus continues to hang over its divisions, including game development.

Kadokawa has investments in three game studios, including FromSoftware. While Elden Ring gets mentioned in the report, it's only to illustrate how big of a project it is for the studio, and how much anticipated it is worldwide. No specifics about the project itself were made, but it's fair to say that Elden Ring wouldn't be out before the end of March next year.

A report from earlier this year revealed that the game's development was heavily impacted by the pandemic, suggesting that it won't be released this year. With today's revelation, many will be disappointed to also learn that it may not be out in the first quarter of next year, though there's every chance, of course, a later release in 2022 is planned.

Ove the weekend, a few blurry seconds of an Elden Ring trailer appeared online. It's not clear whether they originate from March's leaked trailer, or a new one. Nevertheless, we may be getting closer to the game's proper reveal, but we could only hope.