At The Game Awards, one of the major highlights was undoubtedly Elden Ring Nightreign, given its association with FromSoftware’s acclaimed design prowess. Exciting news for fans: Bandai Namco has announced an upcoming network test early next year, with sign-ups opening in January.
In case you missed the buzz, Nightreign is a co-op-centered game that lets multiple players team up to face bosses from the expansive FromSoftware universe. So yes, it’s like playing Elden Ring with your friends—not just writing quirky notes for each other or crashing someone’s game to either lend a hand or stir up chaos.
Scheduled for release sometime in 2025, the game will be conducting its network test shortly after the new year rolls around. Mark your calendars—the test is slated for February 2025, and registration begins on January 10. It’s worth noting that this test is exclusively for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S players, so anyone on a PC or older consoles might feel a tad left out.
What exactly does participation entail? According to Bandai, “The network test serves as a preliminary evaluation, allowing selected testers to play a segment of the game before the official launch. It’s aimed at assessing various online systems by conducting large-scale network load tests.”
If you think about it, these technical tests are akin to battling bosses. But instead of a new weapon or armor, your victory is contributing to a stable network experience for the full game launch. You might call it earning a ‘badge of stable connectivity’—something fancy to boast about to your friends.
For more discussions on Elden Ring, don’t forget to check out Sony’s recent affirmation of its interest in acquiring FromSoftware’s parent company, Kadokawa.
