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There’s really no experience in gaming at the moment that is more unique than the Remedy Connected Universe (RCU), weaving psychological horror with the studio’s love for the zany into a shared narrative web.
But while this connected universe continues to grow with multiple games, movies, and TV shows on the way, another such universe may be forming very subtly under our noses. With Sam Lake showcasing how such narrative projects can work in gaming, it’s time for Hidetaka Miyazaki and FromSoftware to fully embrace their own shared universe as well.
What’s the current state of Sam Lake’s Remedy Connected Universe?
Okay, we know what got you from that intro, but before we get into the FromSoftware stuff, let’s address where Remedy’s currently at with its super ambitious project.
So, what probably started as a small trend-chase attempt in the wake of the MCU and withControl’s AWEexpansion, the project has now fully grown into something much more significant than Remedy’s individual games, all thanks toAlan Wake 2’s The Lake House DLC.
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Initially, most of us expected a few simple nods at the studio’s older games with each new title. At this point, though, it should be clear to any of us now thatthese fellas were laying the groundwork for a meticulously planned shared universethat’s becoming increasingly tangible all along.
More importantly, and as mentioned in the intro too, Remedy isn’t stopping at games either. Partnering up with Annapurna, we’ll also be getting adaptations ofControlandAlan Wakein the realm of prestige media, though it remains to be seen how that plays out within the larger universe.
The studio’s current projects includeControl 2, which is nearing the end of production, andFBC: Firebreak, which is expected to arrive sometime soon. Both these titles are expected to further expand the studio’s ecosystem, bringing and showcasing different sides of a narrative whole.
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All in all, it’s a very deliberate approach to the whole thing, and honestly, it most certainly feels like a breath of fresh air when most other games’ “shared universes” end up being nothing more than glorified Easter egg hunts and small wink-nods.
FromSoftware should make its quietly growing universe official now
Time to address the elephant in the room. So, whether intentionally or not, we think that all this time, FromSoftware, too, has been building a connected universe of its own in a way.
Now, that shouldn’t come as news to anyone. Most reading this might’ve already tried to form a similar theory:Demon’s Souls‘ bad ending leads directly intoDark Souls.
Then, that world slowly messes up, but people begin to discover the power of blood in Dark Souls 2. Finally,Dark Souls III’s“Blood of the Dark Soul” painting potentially connects that world toBloodborne.
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Thematically, all these games connect the shared theme of people just ruining their own worlds in favor of maintaining a status quo or prolonging the existing powers’ rule for a little longer, too, so all those old theories do make some sense.
But where things get really wild is whenyou can see a clear link forming betweenBloodborneandElden Ring. As many fans continue to theorize with their tin-foil hats on, both games feature surreal, dreamlike worlds, otherworldly entities, and beings from higher planes of existence.
Could The Lands Between actually be some supermassive dream or a nightmare fromBloodborne, as some speculate? Could the Outer Gods ofElden Ringbe the Great Ones of Bloodborne in another guise? For our money, there’s definitely weight to this theory.
Now, we get it—many don’t quite like the idea of all these games being forced into a knot like this—the ambiguity and isolated bits of each game are part of the charm, after all. But let’s be real—wouldn’t it be cool ifBloodborneandElden Ringserved as the beginning of a larger Soulsborne saga?
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Plus, we’re not really asking FromSoftware to just jump on some hype train. When you think about it structurally, narratively, and thematically, the pieces are already there, too, so it’s up to Miyazaki to just make the call and get started.
Plus, if anyone could actually build a connected universe that rivals—or even surpasses—all others in any form of media, it’s Hidetaka Miyazaki. It’s a bit of a stretch, at the end of the day, but it would, in our opinion, be the greatest gift FromSoftware can give to us all.
But with all that said, what are your thoughts on this? Would you want to see a Soulsborne universe like this, or do you think FromSoftware should keep its worlds separate? Let us know in the comments below.
Akshit Dangi
Writer - Gaming
Articles Published :266
Akshit is a supposed human being and gaming writer who lurks in different corners of the internet in search of fascinating rabbit holes. Outside of that, though, you’ll most likely find him staring at a piece of art for days or completing another playthrough of Silent Hill.
