Elden Ring publisher Bandai Namco has expressed interest in working with Mistborn and Wheel of Time author Brandon Sanderson – who'd seemingly like to work with developer FromSoftware in the same way George R.R. Martin did.
In a a YouTube stream spotted by PC Gamer, Sanderson unboxed an Elden Ring gift package from Bandai Namco that included a message saying the publisher was interested in working with him.
Sanderson previously jokingly complained about developer FromSoftware working with Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin over him, or as he put it "someone who spends his days blogging about the NFL rather than the person who has played their games since King's Field."
During his YouTube stream, someone off-camera asked if the package was an apology for choosing Martin and Sanderson laughed saying "no, they should've hired George", but another off-screen voice told him to read the note that came with the gift.
"They are interested in perhaps doing something together", Sanderson said. "I am as well. I actually have a pitch for them in the back of my head. So I may have to send them my pitch and see what they think."
Sanderson likened the potential collaboration to his work for the Magic: The Gathering trading card game a few years ago, saying he'd already been working on a story before publisher Wizards of the Coast asked if he was interested in writing for them.
He added: "I've been thinking of what I would do if I did a Soulsborne sort of game. Obviously I don't get to decide that but I have it in the back of my head. So maybe you guys will hear something from me. I have some ideas."
The gift package was also sent from Bandai Namco to other influencers and media outlets but it's unclear if the specific note given to Sanderson was sent from FromSoftware (which has the most influence in the development process) or the publisher.
While the Dark Souls trilogy and Elden Ring are published by and closely tied to Bandai Namco, other recent FromSoftware hits have seen different publishers including Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice coming from Activision and Bloodborne from Sony.
Sanderson's interest in gaming partnerships has already been made clear through his collaboration with Fortnite last year, that saw his Mistborn character Kelsier arrive as a skin in the game.
While Elden Ring's story wasn't directly written by Martin. he provided director Hidetaka Miyazaki and FromSoftware with samples of text that provided a backbone to the world, including some of its history and important figures.
Elden Ring was launched on February 25 to incredible success in the U.S. and Europe and, as is typical with FromSoftware games, fans are finding some pretty bizarre secrets such as a pair of fancy underwear and a hidden wall that only opens after 50 hits.
It's proved somewhat of a cultural phenomenon with people continuously seeking new ways to interact with the game, such as someone modding Elden Ring characters into Tekken, speedrunners battling to finish the game as quickly as possible, and a streamer letting his Twitch chat play while he slept.
In our 10/10 review, IGN said: "Elden Ring is a massive iteration on what FromSoftware began with the Souls series, bringing its relentlessly challenging combat to an incredible open world that gives us the freedom to choose our own path."
To make those choices with the best available information, check out our full guide that features everything you could ever hope to know about Elden Ring, including collectible locations, boss strategies, and more.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.