Despite Elden Ring’s universal praise as a masterpiece of open-world design and worldbuilding, the game’s director Hidetaka Miyazaki says FromSoftware has not yet created his elusive “ideal fantasy RPG.”

In a recent interview with PC Gamer, the legendary developer reflected on Elden Ring’s inspirations and how it brought the studio closer than ever to fully realizing Miyazaki’s lofty ambitions for the genre.

“Elden Ring is not quite it, it’s pretty close. It’s getting close,” Miyazaki explained, pointing to his love of sprawling world maps and the thrill of exploratory freedom as core pillars he still hopes to push even further.

“I think that excitement, for me at least, comes from seeing that world map and piercing together that world map,” he elaborated. “So when we finally got to do that and start piecing that together when making Elden Ring, that was a really nice moment for me personally.”

While underwhelmed by most modern RPGs which spoon-feed guidance, Miyazaki hopes to one day craft an open-world experience that instills a true sense of unrestrained player-driven discovery.

“I’d love to not know [what’s going to happen], and for somebody else to make my ideal fantasy game, please, if possible,” he said with a laugh. “Then I can enjoy it just as a player.”

Of course, given Miyazaki’s legendary attention to detail and hands-on approach, it seems highly unlikely FromSoftware would simply outsource his dream project. Which begs the tantalizing question – just how might the studio endeavor to top its latest acclaimed masterwork?

While remaining coy on specifics, Miyazaki hinted that the pursuit of crafting the quintessential exploratory open-world will remain the team’s central creative ambition.

“It’s hard to say without giving spoilers for my next idea or our next games,” he teased when asked to expand on his vision of the ideal fantasy RPG.

With the studio’s upcoming Elden Ring expansion Shadow of the Erdtree potentially serving as a final farewell to The Lands Between, FromSoftware appears to have its sights set on an even grander next endeavor.

What form this takes – whether it’s an all-new open-world IP, or perhaps a dream collaboration tackling an existing fantasy universe like Berserk’s haunting realm – remains shrouded in mystery.

But one thing is certain: even after cementing their place among the medium’s most elite world-builders, the relentless creatives at FromSoftware remain unsatisfied until they bring Miyazaki’s wildest vision for the fantasy RPG genre into staggering reality.

The game that finally achieves that may prove to be the studio’s most staggering achievement yet. Until then, Elden Ring’s triumphs will have to tide us over as mere stepping stones toward FromSoftware’s true magnum opus still to come.

Tags: Action game Adventure game BNE LLC Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree FromSoftware Inc.Namco Bandai Games America Inc.