Saturday, August 1, 2026

Elden Ring Players Are Hoping for Godwyn DLC After FromSoftware Shares Cryptic Social Media Post

It's been two years since FromSoftware released its Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, but a new post from the developer has some fans believing that even more Elden Ring DLC is on the way.

Outside of a few updates for multiplayer spinoff Nightreign and A24's live-action movie, things have been quiet over in the Elden Ring camp. So, when the studio behind the critically acclaimed fantasy RPG franchise published a somewhat ambiguous social media post, fans wasted no time going rabid with excitement.

"Even the perilous hunt for the demigods holds moments of quiet wonder," the X/Twitter post said, accompanying a 12-second video of a player riding through Siofra River.

It's innocuous enough on its own, but for those who have waited years for more Elden Ring DLC, it's turned into a gold mine to spin theories off of. The post itself has racked up 4.3 million views and 16K likes, with its replies filled with those who believe FromSoftware is trying to very, very subtly tell players that something is coming.

"GODWYN DLC?????" one popular quote post said.

"I am delusional please give me a second expansion," another said.

It's true that this post is a bit different from the studio's usual activity. The Elden Ring social media feed has been known to be either very direct, sharing things like announcements for updates, or extremely vague. Even then, it's hard to find a post quite like the one that has fans riled up, with few similar messages throughout 2025, if at all.

The video being set in Siofra River and the lack of giant crab and Ancestral Follower enemies also have players on edge for more Elden Ring DLC. Unfortunately, there is very little reason to believe another expansion is on the way, at least for right now.

Besides the post itself mostly seeming to highlight one of Elden Ring's many standout moments, there are plenty of other things it could be building hype toward. The team behind the Elden Ring movie announced they had wrapped filming earlier this week ahead of its March 3, 2028, release date. Our money, however, is on the Tarnished Edition that is set to come to Nintendo Switch 2 in just a few weeks.

FromSoftware is no doubt interested in pushing fans to check it and its new content out, even if it is insubstantial compared to something like Shadow of the Erdtree. Some fans have also pointed out that the video seems to feature one of Torrent's new skins, which will also be available on other platforms in the near future.

The only thing Elden Ring fans know they can look forward to in the next month is the Tarnished Edition, but that isn't stopping fans from showing up in droves to plead with FromSoftware to release another DLC expansion. There are also those showing up in the replies section to call for more content for Nightreign, while those hoping for base game DLC argue they'd rather FromSoftware return to the game that started the franchise back in 2022.

Then, of course, there are the Bloodborne fans. Poor things.

For now, FromSoftware has not confirmed a second major DLC expansion for Elden Ring. We do know that the studio has some things in development, but outside of previously announced projects like The Duskbloods, much of its future remains a mystery.

IGN called Elden Ring a "Masterpiece" in our original 10/10 review. The Shadow of the Erdtree DLC earned the same rating.

Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He's best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).



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Hololive Dreams: How the Development Team Used RPG Mechanics to Create a Giant Rhythm Game

Hololive Dreams is a rhythm game, but it’s not JUST a rhythm game. Based in the popular virtual VTuber agency hololive, which consists of dozens of digital influencers streaming everything from video games to concerts, hololive Dreams aims to attract players who might not be familiar with (or fans of) music-based gameplay.

The game, which was released on July 23, layers RPG elements on rhythm game base. The hololive Dreams (often abbreviated to “holodri”) development team says this unique combination was an effort to make the game larger in scale while making it more accessible to a bigger audience.

I spoke exclusively with the Producer of hololive Dreams, who goes by the moniker Mr. O, and Mr. K, the Head Supervisor of Gaming Business at COVER, which co-produced the game, about bringing more than 50 virtual talent and 150 songs to a rhythm RPG, the challenges of building a game that features dozens of protagonists, and the rationale for producing both an RPG and a rhythm game simultaneously.

“We wanted this game to be larger in scale than what is generally known for rhythm games,” Mr. O says. “What that means is if someone is not interested in the rhythm aspect of a mobile game, for example, even if they like the IP, it's not very engaging to play. That is why [with] this game we want to excite people to a whole new level with that extra scale.”

Hololive Dreams takes place on a virtual uninhabited island “somewhere in the ocean,” where players develop their own theme park and complete quests to expand their footprint. The holodori development team says that music is a key component of the gameplay progression.

“Rhythm games are implemented in the gameplay loop in such a way as to it propels you forward and also continues to develop the park,” the team says. “So it gives more purpose to the rhythm game aspect [with] objectives you have to clear in the larger game. So even people who are not specifically enthusiastic about rhythm games, we feel that they can be more motivated to play them within the larger gameplay loop.”

In hololive Dreams there are multiple mini games featuring everything from obstacle courses to Mahjongg.

“We have four mini games that are not rhythm games [of] different genres,” Mr. O says. “One of them is a big rope skipping game, [one is] a puzzle sort of game where if you touch three food ingredients of the same kind, they disappear, [there’s] an obstacle course that you can play with up to 16 people at a time, and a card game [that’s a cross between] poker and Mahjongg.”

Key to the development of the game is the music. With more than 150 titles featured in hololive Dreams, including both covers and hololive originals, the development team says the massive number of songs is a deliberate effort to compete in Japan’s crowded rhythm game market.

“If you look at the smartphone game market in Japan,” Mr O says, “there are many, many rhythm games right now. And we wanted this game to stand on its own and compete with those. So we wanted to have a lot of songs from the start.

“We [also] have 54 [hololive] talents that are participating in this project as playable characters. And having just one song per talent would be a little too empty. So we wanted to have two for each, which brings us up to 108. And we wanted to have ensemble songs. As we added more, the number went up to 150.

“[We wanted] the first song for each talent to be their originals, the songs that represent them as artists. Their famous songs. And then the second one, some of them are covers because it’s part of the appeal of playing a rhythm game.”

The hololive Dreams team says they collaborated extensively with a large roster of hololive VTubers to find the right balance of music.

“We chose the cover songs from a Japanese perspective,” Mr. O says. “Songs that would make a Japanese audience happy. We asked the talents which song[s] they would like [and] talked about it together.

“Every talent in this game is a protagonist. There's no playing favorites. We wanted to include more [ensemble] songs. We tried our best [and] did what we could to have an even, balanced playing field when it comes to representing [everyone].”

Like many games of its genre and scale, hololive Dreams will feature a regular cadence of events. The team behind the game says that, even though hololive Dreams is available on PC, the events will be more geared toward Android and iOS players.

“Even though we're releasing this for mobile and PC, the events will be more catered toward the mobile side,” Mr. O says. “It'll be around three events per month. [The game features] character nurturing elements, so the longer you play with the talent, you grow that character. And with the talent that you grow, if you do live concerts in the game, then you get higher scores. So we'll have events where people can compete with each other based on these scores.”

The holordori team says that, due to the nature of the game, players can expect an evolving experience, right down to the theme park setting.

“The first two areas that [are] available at the time of release are Harmony Garden and the Mega Sphere respectively,” the team says. “And then after release, we will add a third area and then a fourth area. So we will have these major updates that should draw some attention as the game goes on. The first area features all 54 talents. But from area three on, we will focus on [about] 10 talents per area. So everyone will get the spotlight equally. At the end, we'll have shined a spotlight on everyone.”

Hololive Dreams is available now on iOS, Android, and PC/Steam.

Michael Peyton is the Senior Editorial Director of Events & Entertainment at IGN, leading entertainment content and coverage of tentpole events including IGN Live, San Diego Comic Con, gamescom, and IGN Fan Fest. He's spent 20 years working in the games and entertainment industry, and his adventures have taken him everywhere from the Oscars to Japan to Buenos Aires, Argentina. Follow him on Bluesky @MichaelPeyton



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Palworld TCG Prices Skyrocket as eBay Scalpers Profit Off of Card Game Launch

The Palworld TCG has officially launched, and so too has a wave of scalpers looking to make a quick buck on developer Pocketpair's new collectible cards.

As promised back in January, the developer has partnered with Bushiroad to deliver an official Palworld trading card game and released its first wave of cards, Dawn of Palpagos July 30, 2026. It was an announcement that predictably triggered further comparisons to Pokémon, and also like the original pocket monster property, Pocketpair's latest creation has some people selling cards for hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

As spotted by GamesRadar, eBay has filled with both successful and ongoing listings for everything from booster box cases to, of course, individual (and extremely rare) cards. For reference, retailer Lumius was selling a booster box case – which comes with 12 booster boxes that carry 12 booster packs each – for $499.99. Cases are going for about $1,800 on eBay.

While there are plenty of Palworld fans clearly looking to collect their favorite Pals simply for the love of the game, scalpers online have a different plan. Some buyers who lucked out and got their purchases shipped early had already posted listings for cards before that official July 30 launch date.

One Cattiva Gold Soul Card, which appears to be the rarest of the collection so far, seemingly sold for an unbelievable $3,997.98 three days early on July 27. A Jormuntide Ignis card sold for $1,300 even earlier on July 24. While cases are hovering at around $1,800 on eBay post-Palworld TCG launch, a master case containing three regular cases sold for $5,990 just 24 hours after launch.

These prices are nothing new to Pokémon fans, but it doesn't make seeing them pop up online so quickly sting any less. Successful prices do seem to have come down in the few days since collectors and scalpers started receiving their orders, with those Gold Cattiva Pals now seemingly going for around $1,000 each.

Pocketpair seems to have gotten off to a roaring start with its Palworld TCG despite the obvious comparisons being lobbed its way. July 9, weeks before launch, the company reported it had achieved 3.5 million packs ordered. The Dawn of Palpagos set features more than 50 Pals with original illustrations, with a second booster set, Legends Awaken, set to follow this October. For more on the latest collectible trading card game to sweep gamers off their feet, you can read everything you need to know about Palworld TCG.

Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He's best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).



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Elden Ring Players Are Hoping for Godwyn DLC After FromSoftware Shares Cryptic Social Media Post

It's been two years since FromSoftware released its Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, but a new post from the developer has some fans be...