Miyazaki hints at FromSoftware’s return to single-player games
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FromSoftware president Hidetaka Miyazaki has indicated that the studio wants to return to single-player games once its current multiplayer projects, Elden Ring: Nightreign and The Duskbloods, are behind it. Speaking to IGN, he explained that both titles turning out to be multiplayer-focused was coincidental rather than a deliberate strategic pivot, though he acknowledged that prolonged work on multiplayer games tends to leave the team wanting to make something single-player again. This matters because FromSoftware built its reputation on acclaimed single-player titles such as Dark Souls, Bloodborne and Elden Ring, and fans have been watching closely for signs the studio's direction is shifting.
Miyazaki said The Duskbloods, a Switch 2 exclusive developed with Nintendo, grew out of ideas that never fitted a traditional single-player format and had accumulated over time, giving the team a dedicated outlet for them. He praised Nintendo's involvement, particularly its help improving onboarding and tutorials, an area he admitted FromSoftware has historically handled poorly. The Duskbloods' network test ran across five phases from 21st to 24th August, with the full game still lacking a confirmed release date beyond FromSoftware's prior commitment to launching it sometime this year.
- Miyazaki hints FromSoftware wants to return to single-player games
- Nightreign and Duskbloods multiplayer focus was "coincidental", he says
- Duskbloods network test ran 21st-24th August; no firm release date yet
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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.
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Originally published by Eurogamer as “Miyazaki suggests FromSoftware is keen to return to single-player games after The Duskbloods and Elden Ring: Nightreign”.