Gamescom 2026 kicked off with a major surprise in the form of Nodusfall, a multiplayer souls-like from developer Hoyoverse, the studio behind free-to-play gacha games like Genshin Impact and Zenless Zone Zero.
As shown in the trailer and later described by Gamescom Opening Night Live host Geoff Keighley, players take on the roles of Weavers, heroes who must band together to battle “mythic beings” in a world where “divine authority has crumbled and order has collapsed,” Keighley said.
The trailer wasn’t shy about its inspirations, namely 2022’s Elden Ring. Multiple shots in the trailer look like they could have been ripped straight out of From Software’s GOTY open-world RPG, including a boss enemy that looks nearly identical to Elden Ring’s infamous Malenia. Another boss in the trailer looks extremely reminiscent of Elden Ring’s Godfrey, complete with a lion-esque creature.
From Software, of course, released its own multiplayer version of Elden Ring, Elden Ring Nightreign, in 2025. Another multiplayer From Software experiment, The Duskbloods, releases later this year as a Switch 2 exclusive.
Where have I seen this before?
Given Hoyoverse’s track record, the real question is how Nodusfall will be monetized and if it will feature similar gacha systems to that of the studio’s wildly popular open-world action-RPG Genshin Impact.
No release date or platforms for Nodus Fall were given, but all of Hoyoverse’s previous games have released on PC, with some later coming to consoles as well.
