• A mobile version of Elden Ring is in the works from Chinese gaming megacorp Tencent.
• It will reportedly feature similar mechanics to miHoYo’s Genshin Impact which are considered harmful to players.
• The mobile version of Elden Ring will be a free-to-play game with in-app purchases.

As the Elden Ring fanbase anticipates word of the upcoming Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, a fresh report details that one of the world’s largest videogame corporations Tencent is working on a mobile version of the FromSoftware megahit, and it will be different to the original in some concerning ways.

According to Reuters citing people close to the situation, China’s Tencent acquired the rights to a mobile version of the highly acclaimed action RPG in 2022 and has been working on a prototype of the massive, open-world game for smartphones. Progress on the title, however, has been slow.

Tencent, who owns a 16 percent stake in FromSoftware, is planning to fundamentally change the model of the game. Originally, Elden Ring was a premium game with a set price tag. You pay $60 and you receive the full game, with all weapons, enemies, armours and multiplayer functionalities available, however, this model goes against Tencent’s plan.

The report details that Tencent is planning to turn the in-development mobile version of Elden Ring – a real licensed port and not a copycat – into something similar to miHoYo’s Genshin Impact. It will be a free-to-play game with in-app purchases.

Genshin Impact is considered a “gacha” game, that abuses addictive mechanics to squeeze money out of players who fear missing out on content even though it is “free.” You need to buy new characters who are often more powerful than the characters you receive by simply playing the game. If you don’t want to spend money, you are often forced to undergo grindy gameplay to unlock the features you want.

These mechanics are considered so harmful for players that China recently released a set of new regulations to limit the amount that players can spend on games like Genshin Impact, also curbing abusive and addictive gameplay mechanics at the same time. The release of the regulations actually led to Tencent’s stock falling by as much as 16 percent following the news.

This latest report indicates that the regulations could throw a spanner in Tencent’s plan for the Elden Ring port. It could see delays of months, if not years. While the company continues to draw considerable revenue from past titles such as PUBG Mobile, there is an apparent urgency to release a new hit.

Its recent new releases haven’t had the same luck as previous games. The hope is that Elden Ring’s cache with fans will draw people to try out the mobile experience, but could you imagine having to pay to unlock the Samurai class? Or the Prisoner class?

Want to level your Vitality above a certain threshold? Sorry, you don’t have enough Tarnished Bucks, but you can buy this Battle Crate for $30 and you get a few extra. The thought of Tencent corrupting the legacy of Elden Ring, considered to be one of the best games ever made (96 percent on Metacritic) and FromSoftware President Hidetaka Miyazaki’s magnum opus, is a dire one.

[Image – Steam]