Author George R.R. Martin has addressed the reviews for FromSoftware's Elden Ring on his site, sharing some of the many positive reviews the game has garnered. Elden Ring was praised by Martin prior to its release, helping to drive excitement for what's already become one of the biggest game launches of the year.
George R.R. Martin, who is most well known for his A Song Of Ice And Fire novels, which were adapted into HBO's Game Of Thrones series, was approached to help with worldbuilding by FromSoftware during the early development stages of Elden Ring. Although he has previously admitted that video games weren't his thing, having only played a handful of strategy games, he found the offer was one he could not refuse upon seeing the gorgeous concept art from the team at FromSoftware. The creator helped with building Elden Ring's rich fantasy story, one of the many aspects of the game which has been praised by critics and fans.
On Martin's website, GeorgeRRMartin, the author gave shout-outs to the glowing reviews from Esquire, NPR and Gamespot, highlighting some of the keywords that have become synonymous the game: "Once in a generation… masterpiece… beautiful and brutal… a sumptuous open world…" In a prior GeorgeRRMartin post that coincided with the release of Elden Ring's story trailer, he pointed out that he finished his part in the project fairly early on, and that the game was in development for years after he sent FromSoftware his writing, writing: "Videogames are as big as movies these days (bigger, actually)… and take just as long to create." Although GRRM modestly said he played a "small" part in creating Elden Ring's world, it's clear he is immensely proud of the finished product, calling the reviews "music to the ears."
The game has been widely praised since launch due in part to the richness of the worldbuilding by Martin, but also due to the incredible visuals and gameplay seen in Elden Ring. The latter, however, has caused some controversy as more casual players who seem unaware of the level of difficulty that comes with FromSoftware's titles have been pleading for an easier mode, which led to game creator Hidetaka Miyazaki issuing an apology to those fans who found Elden Ring too difficult.
With Elden Ring now released, fans can look forward to seeing what George R.R. Martin will be doing next, with HBO adapting his 2018 novel Fire & Blood into House Of The Dragon, a Game Of Thrones prequel that will be chronicling the downfall of House Targaryen. While it's not clear if Martin will be involved in other games, many are still awaiting the final two books in his A Song Of Ice And Fire series, which he has been writing for over a decade and promises will have a different conclusion to the controversial one in HBO's Game Of Thrones. Until then, fans can at least delve into the Lands Between in Elden Ring.