A new rumour claims Elden Ring developer FromSoftware is planning to launch a pirate-themed game this year, but not everyone’s convinced.
FromSoftware has released several games since Elden Ring’s success in 2022, namely Armored Core 6 and Elden Ring Nightreign, but they still haven’t announced a major new multiformat follow-up.
Of course, we know the studio is working on The Duskbloods, which is set to launch this year and is directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki. However, with it having a multiplayer focus and being a Switch 2 exclusive, it’s unclear how similar it will be to titles like Bloodborne or Dark Souls.
Although FromSoftware must be working on at least one other game, there’s still no official clue as to what it could be, but a new rumour suggests it will be annouced during Summer Game Fest on June 5.
Before you get too excited, this all stems from posts on 4chan and some of the details seem highly unlikely. However, there are some recurring elements to the rumours which has sent some fans on a copium spiral.
It all seems to have started with a post on May 6, which claimed FromSoftware’s next single-player title will be called Cerulean Onslaught. Additionally, it’s supposedly a self-published title and will – somewhat implausibly – be revealed at Summer Game Fest, before being released just two months later in August – prior to The Duskbloods.
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‘It’s a dark action RPG where players sail the ocean exploring islands, with their ship also acting as a hub,’ the post reads.
While 4chan leaks should always be taken with a massive clump of salt, the fact is sometimes the rumours are true and as it happens Bloodborne itself was leaked via 4chan, when it was still known as Project Beast.
That said, the title Cerulean Onslaught is a little too reminiscent of the Cerulean Coast location in Elden Ring’s Shadow Of The Erdtree DLC, so unless it’s an Elden Ring spin-off in some way, it feels like a fan creation.
Additionally, if it is supposedly launching this year, FromSoftware hasn’t released two games in one year since 2012. If you’re counting DLC, the last time was 2016 with Dark Souls 3 and its first slice of extra content, Ashes Of Ariandel, later the same year in October.
However, just a couple of days later on May 8, the idea of a pirate themed FromSoftware project cropped up again in a separate 4chan post. This was similarly described as a dark fantasy role playing game, albeit not in an open world and with the working title ‘Vessel’.
‘The entire game takes place inside the wreck on an island sized ship which has crashed on top and merged with an island,’ it suggests.
Additionally, it’s claimed players in the game are called the ‘Drowned’, which actually sounds more believable coming off the ‘Tarnished’ in Elden Ring and ‘The Ashen One’ in Dark Souls 3.
However, it also claims FromSoftware is working on a ‘fantasy mecha type game’, which feels somewhat unlikely if it’s also juggling The Duskbloods – although they probably do always have a new Armored Core on the boil to some degree.
The idea of an ocean-themed FromSoftware project has been rumoured for years, as far back as 2022, but it’s never come to fruition.
There’s still nothing close to proof, but based on the potential alone, some fans desperately want it to be real.
In response to the rumours, one X user wrote: ‘Do I think this is real? No. But I’ve been saying this for YEARS. A FromSoft Soulslike pirate game would hit so damn HARD is not even funny [sic].’
‘A FromSoftware pirate souls game would be awesome, especially the aesthetic it would probably have some horror to it as well,’ another wrote.
While there’s every reason to be sceptical, if the original rumour is true, we’ll know for definite when Summer Game Fest rolls around on June 5, 2026.
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