Author: Game Infliction

Our first look at Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree will arrive in the form of a trailer tomorrow morning, FromSoftware and Bandai Namco have announced.

The game’s official X/Twitter account revealed the news in a social media post, promising to deliver a first look at the long-awaited DLC at 7 a.m. PST / 10 a.m. EST. The developers have not said what exactly it’ll show, but the video’s description at least promises a three-minute trailer.

The first trailer for #ELDENRING Shadow of the Erdtree will be revealed in 16 hours. Join us at 15:00 UTC.https://t.co/vdG8dJvcet pic.twitter.com/lBbKJYxW2z

— ELDEN RING (@ELDENRING) February 20, 2024

Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC was announced around one year ago, promising to add on to FromSoftware’s already gigantic action RPG world. The only official information we’ve received since then, however, is a look at some appropriately foreboding concept art. The Dark Souls developer revealed in November 2023 that development on the new content was “proceeding smoothly” while players continued to wait patiently. However, tomorrow’s trailer will provide our most substantial look at the new adventure yet.

Tomorrow is proving to be a busy day for gaming fans. Just before we take a peek at Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, Nintendo will debut a new Direct focused on some of its partners and the games they hope to release in 2024. The FromSoftware DLC, meanwhile, is still without a release date, but let’s hope we hear a concrete schedule tomorrow.

Elden Ring was released on February 25, 2022, meaning its two-year anniversary is just on the horizon. In our 10/10 review, we said, “Elden Ring is a massive iteration on what FromSoftware began with the Souls series, bringing its relentlessly challenging combat to an incredible open world that gives us the freedom to choose our own path.”

For more on Elden Ring, be sure to read up on the project’s recently announced mobile spinoff. While FromSoftware finalizes its work on the DLC, there’s always the chance we have even more from this world to look forward to.

Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.

Be sure to give him a follow on Twitter @MikeCripe.

Phil Spencer appears to be dispelling recent rumors that Xbox is fully ditching physical disc, while remaining clear-eyed about the increasing consumer demand for digital games.

In a recent interview with Game File, journalist Stephen Totilo asked Spencer about a slate of rumors last month that Xbox was shutting down its physical game production divisions, exacerbated by leaked court documents showing an enhanced, all-digital Xbox in the works. Though Spencer made a point to address a number of the recent Xbox rumors in a podcast and Xbox Wire post last week, he skipped over the physical games question until pressed on it in the Game File interview.

“Gaming consoles themselves have kind of become the last consumer electronic device that has a drive,” he said. “And this is a real issue, just in terms of the number of manufacturers that are actually building drives and the cost associated with those. And when you think about cogs that we’re going to go put in a console — and as you have fewer suppliers and fewer buyers — the cost of the drive does have an impact.

“But I will say our strategy does not hinge on people moving all-digital,” he added. “And getting rid of physical, that’s not a strategic thing for us.”

He also told Totilo that the reports Microsoft had laid off people on the teams responsible for physical games, while true, were more about “alignment of our teams across ZeniMax, Activision and Xbox. So we have teams that are in charge of physical retail, inclusive of selling games in physical outlets. So that’s what the team action was. It wasn’t about us getting rid of the capability.”

Digital gaming has been on the rise ever since it was introduced, and in recent years a number of publishers have seen it make up an overwhelming share of their total sales. For instance, Take-Two just reported earlier this month that 95% of the company’s total net bookings were digital. Though Take-Two is an extreme example, other publishers aren’t far behind, making it unsurprising that companies like Xbox might at least back off of releasing every game as a physical edition. And indeed, games such as Alan Wake 2, and Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name are foregoing discs entirely even as companies like Best Buy start to phase out physical media sales.

For now, it seems Xbox is committed to continuing to offer at least some physical games. But don’t be surprised if more and more games across all publishers go digital in the coming years.

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.