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

Meg Bethany Koepp
George RR Martin debunks viral Elden Ring 'easter egg' once and for all

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.

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.”

Godrick boss fight in Elden Ring
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.

“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.”