Multiple outlets including IGN and GameInformer are reporting the leak of official promotional imagery for From Software's Dark Souls III, pointing at an upcoming announcement and a release date in 2016.
Originally broken by The Know, this rumor has been floating around for a few days - with speculative details run down such as 60+ minutes of cutscenes, 100 new weapons and 200 new items among the features listed.
This rumor was further corroborated when IGN acquired the image (above) which they claim to have verified the authenticity of but has not yet been confirmed by From Software or Namco Bandai. The image certainly seems consistent with the style of From Software's Souls series, and given the rumors that Dark Souls III could be announced at next week's E3 2015 all signs point to this being the real deal. Another image (below) floating about has been seen as confirmation that Dark Souls III is on the way but this one is as-yet unverified and short any unique assets that would serve to further solidify the rumor.
Depending on how you count Demon's Souls and Bloodborne this would be the third, fourth or fifth entry in From Software's soul-crushingly difficult Souls series. Fans of the series were somewhat disappointed with Dark Souls II as they felt it lacked the magic of the original Dark Souls. Many chalked this up to Hidetaka Miyazaki not being in the director's chair - as he was on Demon's Soul's, Dark Souls and later Bloodborne. Bloodborne was released earlier this year to rave reviews and has been seen as a return to form for the series.
Unsurprisingly, From Software and Namco Bandai have not commented on the rumors at all - with E3 looming they would clearly like to make the major announcement at the show and not in a quiet press release. We stress again that at this stage this is still just a rumor but lucky for us if it is true we won't have to wait long to find out.
Do you think the rumors are legit? Are you excited for a Dark Souls III announcement? Let us know in the comments below!
Image Source: Game Informer
