A gamer's lawsuit against Bandai Namco and FromSoftware alleges deceptive marketing practices, claiming Elden Ring and other FromSoftware titles conceal significant game content. This article examines the lawsuit, its viability, and the plaintiff's motivations.

Elden Ring Lawsuit Filed in Small Claims Court

Difficulty Masks Hidden Content, Claims Plaintiff

A 4chan user, Nora Kisaragi, announced plans to sue Bandai Namco on September 25th, arguing that FromSoftware games, including Elden Ring, contain "a hidden game" intentionally obscured by extreme difficulty. While FromSoftware's games are known for their challenging gameplay, and the recent Elden Ring DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree, reinforced this, Kisaragi claims this difficulty is a deliberate tactic to conceal substantial, undiscovered content. They point to datamined content as evidence, contrasting with the view of other players who believe this material was cut content.

Kisaragi admits lacking concrete proof, instead relying on "subtle hints" from developers. They cite examples like Sekiro's art book hinting at Genichiro's backstory and FromSoftware President Hidetaka Miyazaki's comments about humanity in Bloodborne. Their central argument: players paid for inaccessible content without even knowing of its existence.

The case is widely considered absurd, given that dataminers would likely have already uncovered such a "hidden game" if it existed. Games often contain remnants of cut content due to development constraints, a common practice not indicative of intentional concealment.

Legal Challenges and Potential Outcome

Massachusetts law allows anyone 18 or older to file a small claims lawsuit without an attorney. However, the judge will assess the case's validity. Kisaragi may attempt to use the state's Consumer Protection Law, which prohibits unfair or deceptive practices, by arguing that the developers withheld information or misled consumers. However, proving this will be extremely difficult. The plaintiff must present substantial evidence of a "hidden dimension" and demonstrate consumer harm. Without concrete proof, the case is likely to be dismissed as speculative and lacking merit.

Even with a successful claim, damages in small claims court are limited. Despite this, Kisaragi stated on 4chan that their goal is to force Bandai Namco to publicly acknowledge the alleged "hidden dimension," regardless of the case's outcome.