FromSoftware president Hidetaka Miyazaki has indicated that the studio is eager to return to developing single-player games following the releases of The Duskbloods and Elden Ring: Nightreign. Both of these titles feature multiplayer components, a coincidence that Miyazaki noted was not part of a larger strategic shift.
"It's funny because there was never really any big plan that these two games [Nightreign and The Duskbloods] would both release next to each other," Miyazaki told IGN. He clarified that while Nightreign's director, Junya Ishizaki, helmed that project, the multiplayer focus for both games was simply a matter of timing. "We still have a heavy focus on single-player content as well. This is just something that happened to work out the way it did."
Miyazaki further elaborated that the experience of developing multiplayer titles has paradoxically increased the desire to create single-player experiences. "But it's like, the more you work on something multiplayer for a long time, if anything, it scratches that itch only to want to make something single-player again."
The studio's most recent major single-player release was 2022's Elden Ring, which included more traditional multiplayer features like co-op and invasions. However, Elden Ring's multiplayer did not involve the same actively competitive PvPvE experience seen in Nightreign or The Duskbloods.
Miyazaki described The Duskbloods as a project that allowed the team to explore ideas that "didn't really fit in the context of a single-player game." He explained that these accumulated ideas found a suitable home within the multiplayer framework of The Duskbloods.
The Duskbloods is a Nintendo Switch exclusive developed in collaboration with Nintendo. Miyazaki praised Nintendo's enthusiasm and forward-thinking approach to the project. He also highlighted Nintendo's strengths in player onboarding, noting that FromSoftware has historically struggled with effectively conveying game mechanics to new players. "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 said.
A network test for The Duskbloods is scheduled to run in multiple phases from August 21st to August 24th. While the game's full release date remains unconfirmed, FromSoftware has stated it will launch this year.