Tsunami warnings results in unexpected video game casualties as Elden Ring Nightreign Patch 1.02, Everdark Sovereign bosses delayed

FromSoftware’s upcoming Elden Ring Nightreign Patch 1.02 was slated to introduce a two-player co-op mode. Amid tsunami warnings across the Pacific following an 8.8-magnitude earthquake off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula, the patch has been delayed.

FromSoftware announced the delay due to safety concerns for its staff and infrastructure situated in the affected regions on its Elden Ring X handle. The post states:

“Due to the tsunami warning following the earthquake near the Kamchatka Peninsula, we have decided to postpone the distribution of the 'ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN' Patch 1.02, which was scheduled for today, to tomorrow, July 31 (Thursday), after 10:00CEST | 1:00 PDT.”

Moreover, the second batch of Everdark Sovereign bosses, which were slated to arrive in Elden Ring Nightrein, has also been delayed. Reports indicate one of the new bosses is Maris: Fathom of Night, a tougher variant of the existing Nightlord boss, Augur, previously considered one of the easier Nightlords. FromSoftware stated in a follow-up post:

“Additionally, the second cycle of Everdark Sovereign, which was scheduled to start at 03:00 CEST | 18:00 PDT (7/30) tomorrow, will also be delayed until after the update file has been distributed. 

Thank you for your understanding.”

The earthquake struck late Tuesday, triggering tsunami warnings across multiple Pacific nations, including Japan, Hawaii, Indonesia, Guam, Peru, and the Galapagos Islands. Authorities issued evacuation orders, displacing 1.9 million individuals, and residents have been urged to seek higher ground.

Japanese authorities expected waves as high as 9.8 ft to hit coastal areas and swiftly issued orders to evacuate. The first waves, at least 1ft high, have already affected the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido.

Fortunately, Japan’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency has not reported any injuries, and tsunami alerts have now been downgraded for much of the archipelago. However, the tsunami warnings still apply to areas in the Tohoku region and Hokkaido Prefecture.

Elden Ring Nightrein was released in early 2025. Despite receiving a mixed initial reception, SteamDB reports indicate the game hit an all-time peak of 313,593 concurrent players on Steam within an hour of launch, trailing behind Elden Ring’s 953,426 all-time high player count. 

The game sold 2 million copies on launch day and has surpassed 5 million units globally. FromSoftware decided to add the new two-player co-op mode after player feedback and community calls.

FromSoftware is currently prioritizing safety over the release of Patch 1.02, amid ongoing tsunami threats. The tsunami alerts are slowly dying down as fans await the rescheduled release of the upcoming Elden Ring Nightreign patch.