In a since-deleted Reddit post, a user shared the alleged Shadow of the Erdtree trailer, wondering if it was a “possible leak.” You won’t see the contents of that post for one simple reason: It was debunked by a bunch of commenters saying it’s just a fan-made trailer posted by a creator on Artstation, a digital portfolio for creators to share their work online similar to DeviantArt. One redditor said the expansion’s size was “hard to believe.” Another user mentioned that all of the details made it sound like “Elden Ring 2,” not DLC. Most folks in the comments joked about the trailer, saying the information seemed more like “someone’s wishlist” rather than an actual leak. In the end, everyone called bullshit on what they read and saw, which turned out to be accurate. The leaked trailer was just from someone’s Artstation portfolio.

The ‘trailer’ was reportedly made in Unreal Engine 5

Artist Cayde7 posted their fan-made trailer last month on Artstation, noting that it was a “recreation of Elden Ring in Unreal Engine 5.” Cayde7, who appears to be a Chinese-based artist, clarified that the video was part of a project. Alongside UE5, which looks to be incredibly powerful in recent tech demos, Cayde7 used Blender and the 3D vegetation modeling software SpeedTree to extrapolate the official artwork into a 50-second-long video. It looked legit, with the names for publisher Bandai Namco Entertainment and FromSoft emblazoned at the start, some moving fog revealing what appears to be Miquella on the etheral horse Torrent, and the words “Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree” capping the thing off. But that’s it. No gameplay, no release date, no nothing. Folks took this video at face value and ran with it, leading to some unfortunate misinformation.

Terrance Baker

Kotaku reached out to Cayde7 for comment.

That’s the real bummer here. I understand the anticipation for new content to what was 2022's most prominent game. But taking some unverified “leak” as a possible reveal just ain’t it, especially when the Imgur post alleged that a “world premier trailer” is planned for June 8 during Summer Game Fest. Geoff Keighley is known as the man of world premiers, but something tells me it’s unlikely that his replacement E3 would house such a reveal so soon. I mean, the PvP Colosseum update came out only a few months ago. I’m not sure FromSoft would be ready to pull back the curtain on Shadow of the Erdtree just yet.

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Read More: Elden Ring’s Expansion Is Blowing People’s Minds With A Single Picture

Does that mean Shadow of the Erdtree won’t appear at Summer Game Fest? Can’t say. The event does often come stacked with surprises. As they say, never say never. However, what you’re seeing right now? Yeah, sorry, it’s all fake.

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