Early in its development, FromSoftware's upcoming title, The Duskbloods, was conceptualized with a drastically different art style, leaning towards a more "Nintendo-esque" aesthetic. Game director Hidetaka Miyazaki shared these insights in a recent interview, detailing how the initial vision for the game differed significantly from its current dark, Victorian Gothic presentation.
"In terms of something that has changed quite drastically, at the very, very start of development, we were playing around with the idea of having the characters be sort of short, almost like three head-lengths tall," Miyazaki explained. "Working with Nintendo, we were thinking maybe that would be a better fit." While specific design details beyond the diminutive character size were not elaborated upon, the concept brought to mind stylized characters like those seen in Nintendo's Miitopia. However, this approach did not yield the desired results. "We did it, and it just did not work the way that we thought it would. So we were like, 'Let's just, let's back off a bit there,'" Miyazaki stated.
Despite shelving the initial concept, the idea of a cuter or less grim aesthetic is not entirely out of the question for future projects. "It's an idea that we haven't given up on entirely," Miyazaki hinted.
The core gameplay structure of The Duskbloods, particularly its Player vs. Player vs. Environment (PvPvE) system, has remained consistent since the project's inception in 2021. Miyazaki noted that while the balancing and implementation of specific systems have undergone numerous adjustments, the fundamental concept has largely stayed the same. "The only two points that we had at the start was [that] we wanted something like the Virtue system. Something where players could enjoy matches without solely having to rely on PvP skills. They could do their own thing and still enjoy competing in the matches. As well, we wanted to have the sort of unexpected drama that builds throughout the match," he said. The aim was to create engaging scenarios and emergent drama that players could experience organically within matches.
The Duskbloods is slated for release in 2026.