An Elden Ring player, Nora Kisaragi, has filed a lawsuit against Bandai Namco and FromSoftware in Massachusetts small claims court. Kisaragi alleges that the developers misled consumers by concealing significant game content, claiming a "whole new game… hidden inside" due to the games' high difficulty. This claim, announced on 4Chan, asserts that FromSoftware intentionally obscures this content through challenging gameplay.
Kisaragi's argument rests on the premise that the difficulty level masks undiscovered content, citing datamined material as evidence. Unlike interpretations suggesting this data represents cut content, Kisaragi insists it's intentionally hidden, referencing vague hints from Sekiro's art book and statements by FromSoftware President Hidetaka Miyazaki. The core of the lawsuit is that players paid for inaccessible content without knowledge of its existence.
The lawsuit's viability is highly questionable. Even if hidden content existed, dataminers would likely have uncovered it. The presence of unused assets in game code is common industry practice, often due to development constraints, not intentional concealment.
While Massachusetts small claims court allows suits from those 18 and older without legal representation, the case's success hinges on proving deceptive practices under Consumer Protection Law. Kisaragi faces the significant challenge of providing substantial evidence for a "hidden dimension" and demonstrating consumer harm. The lack of concrete evidence makes dismissal highly probable. Furthermore, even a successful suit would yield limited damages.
Despite the low likelihood of success, Kisaragi's stated goal is to force Bandai Namco to publicly acknowledge the existence of this alleged hidden dimension, regardless of the court's outcome.
