Game of Thrones author George R. R. Martin would probably be quite surprised by how the world of Elden Ring – which he helped developer FromSoftware create a backstory for – actually turned out in the end.

That’s according to Elden Ring game director Hidetaka Miyazaki, who has said that while Martin was part of the game’s development in terms of laying foundations for its world-building and such, it was the studio’s own narrative team that actually took what Martin devised and then built upon it. And, there are some cases where the team and Miyazaki built upon it so much, that Martin himself may not actually recognise it.

Speaking to Game Informer, Miyazaki said “as a player walks through this world, […] they have a very fragmented understanding of the lore, the surroundings, and the type of monsters, whereas I don’t” (thanks, Games Radar).

As Miyazaki knew the world of Elden Ring in its entirety, the director therefore wanted to ensure that the important moments for those who did not have the same level of knowledge didn’t get “lost”. This saw the director bringing “the map and level design” of Elden Ring together, so it could “serve as a guide” which would “help players pick up more information and piece together what they think that world is”, he explained.

But while Martin may be perhaps be surprised by how some of his lore building efforts evolved for the final release, Miyazaki doesn’t have any regrets about the necessary changes which made Elden Ring an all-round experience for players. In fact, the director said Elden Ring even now remains “in a league of its own”.

Back in 2022, Martin admitted he hadn’t played Elden Ring, despite providing backstory. Before its release, though, the author did say he thought Elden Ring looked pretty incredible.

As for expansion Shadow of the Erdtree, Martin didn’t provide any new material for FromSoftware. “Essentially it is the same as it was with the base game,” Miyazaki told Eurogamer ahead of the DLC’s release in 2024.

“The DLC Shadow of the Erdtree is based on one part of that original mythos that he penned for us. It’s not a brand new mythos that he’s written specifically for Shadow of the Erdtree, he has not created something new which informed the design of the DLC. It’s simply another part of the original story that we thought fit to tell as a new expansion.”