A billboard spotted on Saturday over the Los Angeles Convention Center has revealed that Dark Souls II will arrive on current-generation consoles in March 2014.
Although Namco Bandai Games has yet to make any formal release date announcement, the billboard pictured above, erected in preparation for next week’s Electronics Entertainment Expo (E3), states as clear as a kindled bonfire that the next entry in From Software’s critically acclaimed “Souls” franchise is on track to arrive next spring.
Although the release window is well beyond the anticipated launch dates of both Sony’s PlayStation 4 and Microsoft’s Xbox One, which are due to arrive this holiday season, the billboard makes no mention of the eighth-gen consoles, sporting only PS3 and Xbox 360 logos superimposed over familiar images from the game’s teaser trailer.
The appearance of this billboard reaffirms the rising stature of a once-cult franchise, now with the marketing engine running full steam behind it. It has been suggested that Dark Souls II may stray from the formula series fans have grown to love in order to become more accessible to a wider audience.
With this billboard pointing squarely at Interstate 110 in Los Angeles, it sure has a wide audience now.
