Rumored Elden Ring reveal looks unlikely any time soon amidst conflicting reports

The long-rumored Elden Ring reveal, which some sources speculated could come as early as this month, has been caught up in conflicting reports, apparently derailing the idea entirely. 

This all started on March 1 when Microsoft and Xbox marketing head Aaron Greenberg debunked rumors of an Elden Ring reveal coming at an Xbox show scheduled for March 23. This rumor was itself based on gossip sparked by previous comments from games reporters like Gamesbeat's Jeff Grubb and Bloomberg's Jason Schreier, with Grubb suggesting that the game may be shown in March and Schreier claiming that its next reveal likely isn't too far off. 

Theoretically, all of this fit with reports from reliable From Software sleuth Lance McDonald, who said in December that Elden Ring "seems ready to be shown." This, at least, still holds up given that a new Elden Ring trailer leaked online earlier this month, seemingly after being plucked from a larger presentation from publisher Bandai Namco. But then there's still the matter of the rumored March reveal, which brings us to today. 

In a new video, Grubb dismissed the March reveal on the grounds that it now seems less likely. "I think the leak might have messed things up a bit," he said. "But I think things are happening, things are coming together. The reason I think the leak might have messed things up is I think Bandai Namco is cracking down, figuring out how to adjust the messaging, making sure they fully understand how the leak happened, and then continuing down the path toward officially [revealing] the game." 

Grubb clarified his thoughts in a tweet after his comments were amplified by industry hound Nibel. "I was just saying I wouldn't be surprised if things get pushed," Grubb said. "I haven't heard explicitly that one is leading to the other." 

McDonald also weighed in on the back-and-forth: "Elden Ring was never going to be revealed in March and the leaks haven’t caused any plans to change," he said in a tweet. "People are just using the leaks as an excuse as for why their inaccurate predictions aren’t coming true."

Elden Ring fans are so desperate for new information that they're willing to pin their hopes on leads so soft you could spread them on toast, and the anticipation around the game has turned it into a rumor factory – just last week, word surfaced that it will offer Dark Souls-style PvP – so let's recap what we know for sure. 

Firstly, Xbox is not planning an Elden Ring reveal for March, nor do we have reason to believe anyone else is. Secondly, we have no idea when Elden Ring will be out or when it will be shown, and with how frequently the predicted window of 'not long now' changes, we probably won't until we get official word. Thirdly and most importantly, Elden Ring is an upcoming action-RPG from From Software made with creative input from Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin. That's it. Anything beyond that is hearsay and should be treated as such. 

Speaking of games that refuse to show themselves: the director of Bayonetta 3 says it's "safe to expect" an update this year.