FromSoftware, the studio renowned for its challenging titles like Dark Souls and Elden Ring, is collaborating with Nintendo to enhance the player onboarding experience for its forthcoming Switch 2 exclusive, The Duskbloods. In a recent interview, FromSoftware president Hidetaka Miyazaki detailed how Nintendo's expertise is proving invaluable in making the PvPvE multiplayer game more accessible to a broader audience.
Historically, FromSoftware games have been characterized by their minimal tutorials, often dropping players into complex worlds with little guidance. This approach has fostered a dedicated fanbase but can be a significant barrier for newcomers, particularly on platforms like the Nintendo Switch, which caters to a more diverse player base. Miyazaki acknowledged this challenge, stating that while the game is still in development, Nintendo's consistent feedback, support, and suggestions have been crucial for refining the game's unique systems and ruleset. "Having someone who can constantly give us feedback, support, additional ideas, and the balancing first of all because these features are quite complex and difficult—having this relationship is definitely key to that," Miyazaki told IGN.
He specifically highlighted Nintendo's strengths in player education. "Onboarding tutorials and making sure players understand how the game works and how to succeed in the game is something we’ve historically not been super great at conveying instantly. We’ve definitely just dropped players in and hoped they would figure it out. In this case, Nintendo is definitely the right partner for better conveying that information in a way that is understandable to the player; it definitely suits their strengths," he explained.
This emphasis on improved tutorials and clearer communication comes at a critical time, especially with The Duskbloods featuring online PvP elements. Any existing asymmetries in player knowledge, often a hallmark of FromSoftware's design, could be amplified and become more punishing in a competitive multiplayer environment. The success of this approach will be observed during the upcoming alpha test.
Miyazaki also shared that the initial decision to partner with Nintendo was driven by their enthusiastic reception to the game's concept. "Before considering the business aspect of it, that alone was something that I found very appealing and gave me a lot more reassurance for moving forward with this," he noted. This suggests a strong creative alignment between the two studios that extends beyond mere business arrangements.