George R.R. Martin Writing Elden Ring’s History Gave Hidetaka Miyazaki the Freedom to Explore “room for user interpretation”

Hidetaka Miyazaki is known for creating a captivating world that offers each individual a unique experience by targeting the player’s imagination as the medium to explore the world of his games. He is not someone who would lay down all the pieces in front of you and offer a simple linear experience. He would rather take you on a journey with a lot of missing blocks that are unique to each individual and highly depend on player interpretations.

Miyazaki’s latest game, Elden Ring, was a collaborative effort with George R.R. Martin. However, he did not let Martin write the script of the game and asked him only to focus on the backstory of the world the game was set in.

Miyazaki Wanted Players To Write Their Own Stories

Miyazaki’s games are known for non-linear storytelling, which varies a lot for different individuals. The narrative technique used uses the visual design and communication of the game in a way where the choices or the decisions you make in the game change the outcome drastically.

There are more chances for you to get to know more about the story after reading an item description than a dialogue exchange with another NPC. Miyazaki gives building blocks that you can place in whichever way you prefer.

This helps create a healthy community around the game and also leaves space for the creator to exchange a spiritual dialogue with the player. Miyazaki’s way of creating his world is quite different from that of Martin, who focuses on linear storytelling with a tight plot. Whereas, FromSoftware games offer players anything but a tight linear plot. During an interview, Miyazaki stressed more on this point.

Offering room for user interpretation creates a sense of communication with the audience and of course, communication between users in the community. This is something that I enjoy seeing unfold with our games, and that has continued to influence my work.

Apart from that, writing for games and writing for screen and book are vastly different, and he did not want to hinder the creative process of Martin by making him write the script of the game only to realize that it could not happen due to the constraints of a video game.

Elden Ring Fuels The Players’ Imagination

Elden Ring as a game will not hold your hand and take you through all the objectives necessary to beat the game. The same was made possible due to the collaborative effort of both Martin and Miyazaki. This approach was so successful that players have been begging for a sequel since Day 1, even though Miyazaki has no plans for that yet.

Miyazaki built upon the foundation laid down by Martin, which shaped and gave depth to the lore of the game. He gave Lands Between a character by telling us all about what transpired in the years before the quest to reclaim the Elden Ring began, along with Queen Marika’s contribution to the chaos and rise of the demigods playing an integral role in the game.

Miyazaki managed to build a unique narrative technique out of it. FromSoftware’s unique approach towards game design under Miyazaki’s command has truly found an individualistic voice in the industry. What do you think about it? Let us know in the comments below.