Former PlayStation executive Shuhei Yoshida has said he initially underestimated Demon’s Souls, approving the smallest possible physical production run after struggling with its unusually difficult opening area. His comments underline how the game’s demanding design, which later helped define FromSoftware’s reputation, was not immediately seen as a commercial strength.

Yoshida said he should have listened more closely to director Hidetaka Miyazaki’s vision for the game. Demon’s Souls was released for PlayStation 3 and became the foundation for the Souls series, despite early doubts within PlayStation about its accessibility and sales prospects.