Elden Ring Nightreign was one of the standout announcements at The Game Awards yesterday, as you’d expect from anything touched by FromSoftware, given their reputation in the gaming world. Bandai Namco has now disclosed that it will introduce a network test for the game early next year, with sign-ups kicking off in January.
In case you didn’t catch the news about Nightreign, it’s a co-op-centric game designed to let multiple players face off against bosses from the expansive FromSoftware universe. So, imagine teaming up for epic battles, rather than just leaving cryptic messages or occasionally jumping into someone’s game to lend a hand or cause chaos.
Scheduled for a 2025 release, the game will host a network test shortly after the new year begins. This test is slated for February 2025, with registration opening on January 10. The test will be available exclusively on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, so if you’re gaming on a PC or a last-gen console, you might have to sit this one out.
Wondering what the test entails? Bandai Namco explains it as a “preliminary verification test,” where selected participants play a portion of the game before its official release. The main aim is to conduct large-scale network load tests to check various online systems.
If you think about it, tackling these technical hurdles is akin to facing in-game bosses, with a smoother release as your grand prize. You could even call it the ‘aura of stable network load’ when bragging to friends about your involvement in the test.
For those interested in more Elden Ring news, make sure to look into recent developments, such as Sony’s expressed interest in acquiring FromSoftware’s parent company, Kadokawa.
