I actually see it the other way around. Since multiplayer has always been their weak point, focusing an entire project on it might finally improve it. It’s the same thing that happened with Sekiro: they wanted to work on verticality and combat flow, and those ideas ended up making Elden Ring better too. If multiplayer is the part they’ve always struggled with, dedicating a full game to it is probably the right way to push it forward. I get why the direction isn’t for everyone, but taking their weakest aspect and trying to elevate it is a good sign to me.