Nodusfall and the Elden Ring Copy Controversy: What's the Truth Behind the First Images?

I used to think I understood sports, until Guangzhou taught me a lesson about ignorance. In 2026, as a first-year Broadcasting student, I once told an elderly fan that "women's football has no World Cup." She didn't argue back — she just told me about the 2026 final between China and the USA, a match that ended 4-5 on penalties that I had never even heard of. I was wrong, and I learned that ignorance isn't scary — what's scary is when we turn it into self-righteousness. And that very lesson is making me think deeply about the controversy surrounding Nodusfall, the latest title from HoYoverse.

When Nodusfall's first trailer was announced, the global gaming community almost immediately jumped into debate. Images of winged characters were directly compared to Malenia — the iconic sword-wielding boss from Elden Ring. White-haired female characters in still frames were placed beside Melina. Even the dark, oppressive atmosphere of the game's world was criticized as "too similar" to FromSoftware's work. The term "rip-off" appeared everywhere on forums, Reddit, and gaming YouTube channels. This was a reaction HoYoverse certainly didn't expect when announcing the new project.

HoYoverse is no stranger to the global gaming industry. Genshin Impact, their gacha title, has generated billions in revenue and become a cultural phenomenon. Honkai Star Rail continued that success with its signature anime turn-based gameplay. HoYoverse is known for vibrant anime-style graphics, beautiful female characters with gacha-typical designs. And then Nodusfall appeared — an entirely different game: realistic graphics, dark world, and soulslike action combat. This shift isn't just a strategic pivot for HoYoverse — it's a major challenge to their reputation as an action RPG developer.

Elden Ring, released in 2026 by FromSoftware, completely changed the landscape of open-world action RPGs. The game not only won Game of the Year at most major award ceremonies but also sold tens of millions of copies globally. Elden Ring's success created new expectations for the soulslike genre: vast open worlds, oppressive atmosphere, punishing combat, and iconic character design. When Nodusfall announced its first images with similar elements, negative reaction was predictable — but the question is whether that reaction was truly fair or simply a verdict delivered too early, based on still images that say nothing about actual gameplay.

The Controversy: Between Copying and Inspiration

Debating whether a game "copies" another is as old as the gaming industry itself. From the 1980s when Japanese developers began learning from Western titles, to the 2000s when Western studios copied Japanese formulas, to now when Chinese developers enter the global market — the question of where inspiration ends and copying begins has always been thorny. Under intellectual property law, game mechanics are generally not copyrightable — only specific expressive elements like character designs, art assets, and names can be infringing. This means using the "soulslike" formula — punishing combat, dark world, checkpoint respawn — isn't legally actionable. Critics of Nodusfall are judging based on emotion, not law.

However, the community's outrage isn't baseless. In gaming history, there have been blatant copying cases that warranted industry-wide criticism. But there have also been cases where the community overreacted, letting bias cloud fair judgment. And here, I notice a critical blind spot in the debate: nobody has actually played Nodusfall. Nobody knows how it controls, what its combat mechanics are like, or how the upgrade system works. Everything is based on a trailer — and a trailer only shows images, not gameplay.

The Most Important Difference the Community Is Missing

If you look carefully at Reddit comments and forum discussions, an interesting detail emerges: many gamers started comparing Nodusfall not just to Elden Ring, but to a combination of Elden Ring and Monster Hunter. This is an important clue HoYoverse can exploit. Nodusfall isn't a single-player RPG in Elden Ring's style. It's a four-player co-op boss-hunting game. This mechanic positions Nodusfall closer to Monster Hunter — Capcom's famous monster-hunting title — than to Elden Ring.

From the perspective of someone who has followed both genres for years, the difference in actual play experience is significant. Elden Ring is a solitary journey through a dark world, where players must overcome every challenge alone. Monster Hunter is a cooperative experience, where teammates coordinate tactics to take down massive monsters. If Nodusfall truly delivers a smooth co-op boss-hunting experience, it could create an entirely new sub-genre — "cooperative soulslike" — that no one has fully explored. That's the core difference the community is overlooking in their fury over images.

HoYoverse, despite being a gacha developer, isn't inexperienced. Genshin Impact has been praised for its vast open world, excellent soundtrack, and diverse combat system. Honkai Impact 3rd proved they can create high-quality action games. The Nodusfall development team is likely an entirely new internal studio, formed to execute this strategic pivot. Their choice of realistic graphics over anime style could be an intentional decision to reach the Western console and PC market — where Elden Ring demonstrated massive demand.

The Real Risk: Not Legal, But Reputational

From a business perspective, Nodusfall's biggest risk isn't a copyright lawsuit. FromSoftware or Bandai Namco haven't issued any legal statements, and professional assessment suggests the chances of winning a lawsuit are low — the similarities described are archetypal, not direct asset copies. The real risk lies on two fronts: first, if the "copycat" stigma sticks, it could impact pre-release and post-launch sales, especially in Western markets where Elden Ring fans are numerous; second, if actual gameplay at launch still feels identical to Elden Ring rather than a unique co-op experience, the community will feel betrayed in their initial trust.

HoYoverse has a financial advantage over most competitors. Genshin Impact alone generates billions in annual revenue — a figure FromSoftware, despite its artistic prestige, cannot match. Capital advantage allows HoYoverse to recruit top talent, invest in cutting-edge graphics technology, and take time to polish the product. If they use these resources to actually create an excellent co-op soulslike game, the current controversy could become free marketing momentum. Conversely, if they only create an Elden Ring clone with a co-op graphics layer, reputational damage will spread to their other products.

Interestingly, HoYoverse released the trailer without any gameplay footage. This could be intentional strategy — holding back important cards to create surprise — or it could be a sign of defensive maneuvering in response to the backlash. Either way, the gap between trailer and actual gameplay is where the story will be decided. The community is judging a film based on its poster, not its content. HoYoverse has the opportunity — and responsibility — to show that the content deserves the attention.

A Deeper Story: China and Japan on the Global Gaming Stage

The Nodusfall-Elden Ring controversy isn't just about one specific game. It's a reflection of a larger story about competition between Chinese and Japanese developers in the global gaming industry. FromSoftware, with the Dark Souls series and Elden Ring, redefined action RPGs and became a symbol of Japanese creativity. HoYoverse, with Genshin Impact and gacha titles, conquered global markets with China's innovative business model. When HoYoverse enters the soulslike territory — FromSoftware's domain — it triggers an emotional reaction that goes deeper than game comparisons.

In the international gaming community, there's a lingering bias about Chinese developers "copying" from Western and Japanese titles. This bias has roots in real past incidents but has been amplified beyond proportion by conservatism and cultural bias. When Nodusfall appeared with images reminiscent of Elden Ring, that bias was immediately triggered — regardless of the truth. HoYoverse, as a leading representative of China's gaming industry, must face the burden of both history and expectations. This isn't just a match about one game, but about how the entire world perceives one country's creative capacity.

From my position as a sports media professional — someone who has witnessed matches decided by bias before the ball even rolled — I see a clear parallel. In football, we often judge young players based on appearance, team history, or transfer fees — instead of actual performance on the pitch. In gaming, we judge games based on trailer images, developer reputation, or cultural bias — instead of actual gameplay. Both are unfair verdicts.

What Does the Future Hold?

The real answer to this controversy won't come from forums or social media comments. It'll come from HoYoverse's next gameplay announcement. If they show smooth, unique, and engaging co-op boss-hunting systems clearly different from Elden Ring — the community will have to admit their initial misjudgment. If they only show more still images that look identical, the bias will solidify and become the official narrative. If they announce nothing for a long time, silence will be interpreted as implicit admission.

HoYoverse is at a strategic crossroads. They can react by staying silent, hoping the fury subsides, and trusting the game to speak for itself upon launch. Or they can be proactive — announce gameplay early, emphasize the unique co-op element, and turn the controversy into a marketing campaign about differentiation. The second approach requires confidence in the product, but if executed correctly, it could create one of the most impressive PR comebacks in gaming history.

The pitch is wider than the ball. I think that's also true for the gaming industry. The gaming world is wider than still images, wider than hasty comparisons, and wider than cultural bias. If Nodusfall can deliver an excellent co-op boss-hunting experience, it will establish itself — without needing community permission or FromSoftware's acknowledgment. And if not, at least we've learned a lesson: never judge a match before the final whistle.