Miyazaki hints at FromSoftware’s return to single-player games
Developing story first seen 2 hours ago
FromSoftware president Hidetaka Miyazaki has hinted that the studio wants to return to single-player games once its current multiplayer projects, Elden Ring: Nightreign and The Duskbloods, are out of the way. Speaking to IGN, he stressed that both games being multiplayer-focused was coincidental rather than a deliberate strategic shift, but admitted that prolonged work on multiplayer titles tends to make the team want to make something single-player again. The comments matter because FromSoftware built its reputation on acclaimed single-player titles such as Dark Souls, Bloodborne and Elden Ring, and fans have been watching closely to see whether the studio's direction is changing.
Miyazaki explained that The Duskbloods, a Switch 2 exclusive made with Nintendo, grew out of ideas that didn't fit a traditional single-player format, and praised Nintendo's help with onboarding and tutorials, an area he felt FromSoftware had historically handled poorly. The Duskbloods is running a five-phase network test from Friday 21st to Monday 24th August, though the full game still has no confirmed release date beyond FromSoftware's pledge that it will launch sometime this year, potentially competing for attention with GTA 6's 19th November release.
- Miyazaki says multiplayer focus was coincidental, not a new direction
- FromSoftware still wants to make more single-player games
- Duskbloods network test runs 21st-24th August; no release date yet
New here? Start with this
FromSoftware is the Japanese studio behind some of gaming's most celebrated single-player titles, including Dark Souls, Bloodborne and Elden Ring, all overseen by its president, Hidetaka Miyazaki. In recent years the studio has shifted focus towards multiplayer projects, notably Elden Ring: Nightreign and The Duskbloods, a departure that has prompted fans to wonder whether this marks a lasting change in direction.
The Duskbloods is a Switch 2 exclusive being developed with Nintendo, which has also helped FromSoftware improve how it introduces new players to its games, an area the studio has historically struggled with. It is currently undergoing testing ahead of a planned launch later this year, though no firm release date has been set.
Miyazaki's comments matter because they touch on the identity of a studio whose reputation was built on demanding, story-driven single-player experiences. His remarks offer a sense of where FromSoftware's priorities may lie once its present multiplayer commitments are complete, without confirming any firm change in strategy.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Many longtime fans and critics welcome FromSoftware's pivot back towards single-player development, arguing that the studio's reputation and creative strength were built on meticulously authored, atmospheric worlds like Dark Souls, Bloodborne and Elden Ring that simply cannot be replicated in live-service or competitive multiplayer formats. They value the solitary, deliberate pacing and narrative discovery that define these games, and worry that sustained focus on multiplayer projects risks diluting the studio's identity or spreading its talented but finite teams too thin across genres that demand very different design skills.
The case against
Others make a strong case for FromSoftware's recent multiplayer experiments, seeing Nightreign and The Duskbloods as healthy creative stretching rather than a threat to the studio's legacy. They point out that Miyazaki himself frames the multiplayer focus as coincidental rather than strategic, that collaborating with a partner like Nintendo has visibly improved weaker areas such as onboarding, and that a studio confident enough to experiment with new formats while still promising a single-player return is showing creative range rather than losing its way.
More coverage
Entertainment Gaming Software Technology
Read the full article at the source →
Originally published by Eurogamer as “Miyazaki suggests FromSoftware is keen to return to single-player games after The Duskbloods and Elden Ring: Nightreign”.