FromSoftware's Hidetaka Miyazaki, the director behind Dark Souls, Bloodborne and Elden Ring, has spoken about his upcoming multiplayer title The Duskbloods ahead of its release. Unlike his acclaimed single-player games, this is a Switch 2 exclusive pitting eight players against monstrous enemies and each other, with survivors whittled down across three rounds to a final three-way showdown. As a departure from the single-player action his fans crave, and released into a market with shifting tastes, Miyazaki admits the project carries significant risk and personal nerves.

Miyazaki, 51, has led FromSoftware as president since 2014 and rarely gives interviews. His 2022 game Elden Ring, co-created with George RR Martin, sold more than 30 million copies and earned him a place on Time's "most influential" list, an honour shared by only one other games developer, Shigeru Miyamoto. In the interview, conducted at FromSoftware's Tokyo headquarters, he discussed recurring imagery in his work, such as hands, which he suggests may stem from a subconscious source, alongside broader reflections on mystery, connection and pessimism in his design philosophy.