Elden Ring publisher Bandai Namco Nordics, the Scandinavian regional division of Namco Bandai, recently (opens in new tab) celebrated the first anniversary of the 2022 Game of the Year (opens in new tab) on February 25 in Stockholm. party and an accompanying live stream. The announcement has already sent fans into a frenzy, with many comments and quoted tweets speculating about the DLC, and a post about the party titled "Possible DLC News" (opens in new tab) on the game's subreddit has received over 4,500 upvotes and 500+ comments.

As much as I wish it were, I don't think this is the Big One. The event card says "community celebration" and promises live shows, giveaways, contests, exclusive prizes, pub quizzes, drinks, cosplay, and things like Eldenring PvP (the post just says "PvP," but real-life, blood-drenched sports like would not fit the atmosphere of this place).

As Elden Ring's first anniversary approaches, fans, myself included, are getting impatient. At this point in the lifecycle of most studio games, substantial expansion packs like "The Old Hunters" and "Artorias of the Abyss" are released, often containing the coolest levels, bosses, and weapons from each game. But "The Elden Ring" is a big game, and the long development time has undoubtedly taken its toll, and subsequent games must be proportionate to that big, high quality experience.

We ponder the tea leaves, looking for signs from the heavens, anything to ensure that a Radahn-sized add-on will make an appearance. There were encouraging signs, like the placeholder code for future locations buried in the file (open in new tab) and Director Eitaka Miyazaki's brief promise that there is still much to do, but Stockholm and Bandai Namco Nordics were seem to be neither the place nor the host to make it clear. This is not a knock on Stockholm, just a hope that it will be announced closer to Japan, either at a major event like Summer Game Fest, or in the form of a dedicated live stream that does not involve an actual community event.

This event is still something to keep an eye on if you're an Eldenring superfreak like me, and I have a feeling we'll get some hints about the future of the series around this important anniversary. cool "Souls" like "Tunic" (open in new tab). Check out some of the pieces to scratch the same itch, or maybe even give "The Elden Ring" another shot.