George RR Martin debunks viral Elden Ring ‘easter egg’ once and for all

George RR Martin debunks viral Elden Ring 'easter egg' once and for allFromSoftware / Flickr: Gage Skidmore

Game of Thrones creator and Elden Ring writer George RR Martin cleared up a rumored ‘easter egg’ that had caused a debate among some players.

Since its release in February 2022, players have discovered many easter eggs in FromSoftware’s open-world title such as the Berserk Greatsword and some Game of Thrones nods.

But one that had the community in a debate was whether George RR Martin had deliberately hidden one in the game – and the novelist has finally cleared it up.

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George RR Martin responds to Elden Ring easter egg theory

The rumor spread after Elden Ring players noticed a number of characters with names starting with ‘G’, ‘R’, and ‘M’ and started a discussion about whether the writer’s initials were deliberately placed.

George RR Martin laid the theory to rest on March 21, though, debunking it via a blog post on his website titled “This, That, and t’Other Things.”

“There’s a weird story all over the internet about how I “hid” my initials in ELDEN RING because… ah.. some of the characters have names beginning with R, or G, or M,” he wrote. “To which I say, “Eh? What? Really?” This was news to me.”

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Godrick boss fight in Elden RingFromSoftware
Despite characters sharing the same initial, it’s just a coincidence.

He stated that he has been naming characters with the initials in his work since 1971 “with the other twenty-three letters of the alphabet as well.”

“Coming up with names is hard, especially since A SONG OF ICE & FIRE uses so many of them, and I am fond of giving family members and close kin names that have something in common… but really, why would I have to hide my name inside the game?” the 73-year-old asked.

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“My name is right there ON the game, as one of the creators,” he said. “Hey, ELDEN RING is exciting enough, no need to make up stuff.”