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Rumor(s): Evidence Of Dark Souls III Emerging, But Be Cautious
From Software might be keeping the Souls train chugging. A variety of loosely sourced rumors have emerged this week indicating that Dark Souls III is headed for an E3 reveal.
Earlier this week, VG 24/7 shared a story that the game is in development and headed for announcement in a week and a half. That story was predicated on a single source, which made us uneasy about sharing it.
Today, The Know shared what it claims are screenshots of Dark Souls III. Again, these came from a single, anonymous source. As Kotaku points out, there are aspects of the story that seem very convenient and not at all aligned with the approach previously taken in the series.
The screenshots feature a HUD that hints back at the first game in the series instead of the evolution featured in the more recent Dark Souls II. There are story details, something not typically relevant because of how From Software presents exploration-as-narrative with contextual elements used to fill in the blanks. The very specific details about bosses, enemies, and cutscenes seem out out of place for public-facing details.
The other problem is that The Know blindly reported an absurd rumor last week from a single anonymous source that Microsoft was planning on buying Silent Hills from Konami for "billions." Yes, "billions" with a "b." Microsoft's Phil Spencer unequivocally crushed that rumor last weekend. It makes it very hard to trust that team's ability to vet information.
With so many pieces of a story floating, it's important to look at things skeptically. Would it be surprising if Dark Souls III were at E3? Not at all. Does that mean these rumors and the associated details are true? Absolutely not.
We've reached out to Bandai Namco. We don't expect anything more than "no comment," but we'll update this story should we receive a response.
Pictured: Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin
Our Take
It's the week before E3, and as you probably know, one of the worst weeks for rumors. I'm not saying not to get your hopes up, but stay rational about things you read online unless they are properly vetted. Look for stories that are sourced from multiple, independent people (even if anonymous). Be cautious about "Internet sourcing," in which people might assume that because two outlets report a story off one source that there are two sources (because you might run into a single, calculated, malicious tipster).
So why did we share this? You're likely to hear this rumor over the weekend (and Bandai Namco isn't likely to comment on it like Microsoft did last weekend), and context is important, even if it does trend toward "inside baseball."
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