More Armored Core Could Be On The Way

It’s safe to say that Armored Core 6 is officially a hit, and this new title has propelled the series to greater heights. While the game itself is fantastic in its own rights, it definitely wouldn’t be so successful had developer FromSoftware not significantly improved its reputation with genre defining titles like the Dark Souls series, Bloodborne, and Elden Ring. It’s thanks to this air of prestige surrounding FromSoftware that Armored Core 6 has done so well, and it sounds like it’s going be a big boon for the series going forward.

In an interview with gamesindustry.biz, Bandai Namco Europe CEO Arnauld Muller explained that Armored Core 6 is an opportunity to „truly widen the audience“ and that he wants to „take this IP further“ and continue working on the series with FromSoftware in the future. Muller admits that the series will probably never match the success of Elden Ring due to how niche it is, but notices that it’s a „big step up“ for the franchise.

„This is a big step up in this franchise,“ says Muller. „We are not going to be able to match Elden Ring numbers but we will way surpass what Armored Core previous games have done. We have a great game in our hands, the gameplay, the battle system is very loyal to what FromSoftware fans are used to, so we really want to take this IP further in the relationship with FromSoftware. My expectation is that people who have discovered [their] games via Elden Ring will enjoy Armored Core.“

It obviously makes sense for FromSoftware to continue developing for a successful and well-received series like Armored Core, especially now that the company has a higher pedigree than it did back when the franchise was just getting off the ground. The success of Armored Core 6 will no doubt have given those in charge at FromSoftware a decision to make on whether to slot new games in the series into their plans, but it would be surprising if we have to wait another decade for the next one considered how well this revival has gone.

It’s also nice to see Muller setting realistic expectations for the series rather than expect it to match Elden Ring’s impressive numbers, a mistake we’ve a lot in the past. If Bandai Namco is happy to have Armored Core as a moderately successful IP and FromSoftware wants to keep working on the series, then the future of Armored Core is looking very bright.