‘Ruin and decay bring a chance of rebirth’: Hidetaka Miyazaki on uniting players in a damaged world
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.
In short
- Miyazaki previews The Duskbloods, his new multiplayer Switch 2 exclusive
- Eight-player battle game marks a risky shift from his single-player hits
- Elden Ring director admits feeling "very nervous" ahead of release
Explained simply
FromSoftware is a Japanese video game studio known for challenging action games such as Dark Souls, Bloodborne and Elden Ring. Hidetaka Miyazaki has directed many of its best-known titles and has led the company since 2014; Elden Ring, made with author George R.R. Martin, became a major commercial success.
The Duskbloods is a multiplayer game for Nintendo’s Switch 2, moving away from the mostly solitary adventures that made Miyazaki famous. Players face monsters and one another, so the game’s focus is on competition as well as cooperation. Its release matters as a test of whether FromSoftware’s audience will embrace a different kind of game from the studio.
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