The Duskbloods Is Finally Giving FromSoftware’s Forgotten Ideas a Place to Shine

FromSoftware is taking a seriously unexpected turn with The Duskbloods, but Hidetaka Miyazaki wants players to understand one thing right away: the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive is not a sign that the studio has abandoned the single-player games that made it famous. Instead, The Duskbloods is the result of years of ideas that were simply waiting for the right game to exist.

During a hands-on preview interview, FromSoftware president and director Hidetaka Miyazaki explained how concepts from the studio’s previous games, board games, tabletop RPGs, multiplayer experiments, and even unused mechanics eventually came together for The Duskbloods. The result is a multiplayer experience built around competition, cooperation, character relationships, storytelling, customization, and plenty of unpredictable moments.

That makes The Duskbloods feel less like FromSoftware suddenly changing direction and more like the studio finally opening a box filled with ideas it has been collecting for years. Miyazaki specifically pointed back to Demon’s Souls and the Dark Souls series, where systems such as Covenants and Invasions introduced unusual online interactions. FromSoftware also had plenty of other concepts it wanted to explore, but those ideas did not always fit naturally into primarily single-player games.

According to Miyazaki, those unused concepts gradually piled up. The Duskbloods became the outlet where they could finally work together inside a multiplayer-focused structure.

That history also explains why the game is not simply designed around traditional player-versus-player combat.

One of its most interesting systems is Virtue. Miyazaki compared the concept to victory points in board games. Instead of making direct combat the only path toward success, Virtue creates another layer of competition. Players can pursue victory through a system inspired by board-game design rather than simply trying to eliminate everyone standing in their way.

Miyazaki said his own experience playing board games influenced this idea. He has long been interested in competition that does not rely entirely on directly defeating another player, and Virtue became one way to bring that philosophy into The Duskbloods.

Then there is Sigils, which takes inspiration from a completely different corner of gaming: tabletop RPGs.

Miyazaki explained that traditional tabletop RPGs often use dice to determine certain aspects of a character. With Sigils, however, he wanted to go beyond that familiar concept. His goal was to create ways to influence not only character-related elements but also relationships between players and other variables that might normally sit outside the scope of a tabletop RPG.

That means Sigils are not simply a TTRPG reference thrown into a FromSoftware game. They are part of Miyazaki’s broader attempt to turn relationships and other unpredictable elements into actual gameplay systems.

And this is where The Duskbloods starts getting really interesting for players who expect FromSoftware to make everything revolve around brutal PvP.

The game is designed to support different ways of playing, including systems that can make competition less dependent on pure mechanical skill.

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Nintendo Wasn’t Just a Business Partner

The Duskbloods is being developed exclusively for Nintendo Switch 2, and Miyazaki explained that Nintendo’s involvement began with discussions about the game’s concept.

FromSoftware pitched the idea to Nintendo, and Nintendo responded enthusiastically. Miyazaki said that the company’s excitement and forward-thinking approach were appealing even before considering the business side of the partnership. That reaction gave him and the team greater confidence about moving forward with the project.

Nintendo’s role also goes beyond simply publishing or supporting the project.

Miyazaki described The Duskbloods as a game with unusually complex systems and rules. That complexity creates a major challenge: players need to understand how everything works before they can actually enjoy it.

FromSoftware has historically been comfortable dropping players into its worlds and letting them figure things out. Miyazaki openly acknowledged that the studio has not always been particularly strong at immediately explaining its systems through onboarding and tutorials.

Nintendo, however, has experience communicating complicated mechanics in ways that are easier for players to understand. Miyazaki said that constant feedback, support, additional ideas, and balancing assistance from Nintendo have become important to the development relationship. He specifically highlighted Nintendo’s strengths in explaining complex game systems to players.

For players, that could end up being one of the most important parts of the collaboration. The Duskbloods is attempting something complicated, and making sure players understand what they are actually doing may be just as important as designing the systems themselves.

More on The Duskbloods: Nintendo’s involvement isn’t the only thing worth understanding about this one. For more, check out our guide to whether The Duskbloods is exclusive to Nintendo Switch 2.

Miyazaki Says the Game Starts With Himself as the Player

There is another fascinating part of Miyazaki’s approach: FromSoftware does not begin development by deciding exactly which audience it wants to target.

Instead, the starting point is what the developers themselves want to play.

Miyazaki said this philosophy applies broadly to FromSoftware’s games. The motivation starts with creating something he personally wants to see exist. Interestingly, he also admitted that he is not particularly good at high-intensity action games or PvP.

That means the player Miyazaki initially has in mind while designing The Duskbloods is essentially himself.

The question becomes: What systems would he enjoy as someone who does not necessarily want to spend every second fighting other players at maximum intensity?

That thinking has influenced the game’s customization, progression, lore, and story systems.

The Network Test version has some limitations, but Miyazaki said the final game will include significantly more character customization, lore, and story content that players can experience at their own pace. He also stressed that there will be different ways to approach the game, giving fans of FromSoftware’s previous titles something they can latch onto and enjoy.

That becomes especially important for players who are not exactly PvP monsters.

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You Don’t Have to Be a PvP God to Enjoy The Duskbloods

PvP remains a major part of The Duskbloods, but FromSoftware is actively trying to make room for players who would rather not live in constant competitive combat.

One option is a co-op final phase. Character customization can also be used to strengthen the Kin, which are computer-controlled companions capable of helping players during matches.

In the full game, players will have more customization options than those available in the Network Test. These options can allow the Kin to become powerful enough to fight on the player’s behalf, letting someone take more of a backseat during intense encounters.

Miyazaki acknowledged that players reaching the final round will still have to deal with other players, but being less skilled at PvP does not automatically mean they cannot succeed. FromSoftware is specifically experimenting with ways to support players who want a less intense role during the final stages.

Even reaching the final round is supposed to feel like a major achievement.

Miyazaki said finishing among the top three is already something FromSoftware considers amazing because getting there is extremely challenging. The studio wants to improve how that accomplishment is presented and rewarded, potentially through story cutscenes and other ways of showing players that what they achieved mattered.

The goal is simple: losing should not make the entire match feel pointless.

FromSoftware wants players to understand that reaching that stage is difficult, even when they do not ultimately win.

And for players who actually want pure PvP chaos, there is another option being planned.

More on The Duskbloods: PvP intensity is only one part of the picture here. For more, check out our full breakdown of The Duskbloods’ 8-player PvPvE multiplayer and online features.

A FromSoftware-Style Invasion System Is Coming Back

Miyazaki revealed that The Duskbloods is planned to include a system similar to the Invasions from earlier FromSoftware games.

It will not be a dedicated traditional mode in the final game. Instead, a player can enter an existing match where eight other players are already participating, becoming the ninth player.

That invading player will not need to collect Virtue points. Their objective is simply to engage in PvP.

So while The Duskbloods is not built entirely around traditional competitive combat, players looking specifically for that kind of experience will have a system designed to scratch that itch.

The multiplayer design also means FromSoftware is preparing for something else players know all too well: the need to keep a competitive game functioning properly after launch.

Miyazaki said the studio plans to support The Duskbloods with bug fixes and balancing. FromSoftware can draw on its experience with Elden Ring Nightreign when dealing with the demands of maintaining a multiplayer game.

A broader post-launch content roadmap, however, is not ready to be discussed yet.

That distinction matters. FromSoftware has confirmed plans for ongoing bug-fixing and balancing support, but it has not provided a specific larger content roadmap.

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FromSoftware Wants Players to Help Shape the Game

Multiplayer also changes how FromSoftware approaches feedback.

Miyazaki said the studio expects to listen more closely to players than it might with a traditional single-player game. The reason is straightforward: The Duskbloods is complicated enough that even its developers cannot predict every way players will use its systems.

The team is especially curious about the Sigil system.

FromSoftware wants to see how players actually interact with Sigils, what they enjoy, what needs adjustment, and which elements naturally become important to the community. The Network Test also gives the developers a chance to study how much randomization works best.

That includes randomized or predetermined item placement, enemy placement, and map events.

Miyazaki said the team currently does not know whether the existing balance between randomness and fixed elements is ideal. Player behavior will help determine whether certain systems need to become less random or whether keeping them predetermined would work better.

That approach makes The Duskbloods feel like an experiment that is still being shaped through actual player interaction.

And FromSoftware is also thinking about one of the biggest problems facing competitive multiplayer games: the gap between veterans and newcomers.

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Ranked Matchmaking Could Keep New Players From Getting Destroyed

Miyazaki said The Duskbloods is planned to use ranked matchmaking.

The idea is to place highly skilled players alongside other highly skilled players while newer players are matched with people closer to their own experience level. The system is intended to reduce situations where newcomers immediately find themselves against players who have mastered the game.

Progression also does not depend entirely on winning.

Players can unlock story content and character customization through gameplay even when they are not consistently winning matches or reaching the final stage. The idea is to give players reasons to keep exploring the game, its world, and its story while gradually improving at the actual matches.

FromSoftware is even considering ways to create healthier relationships between veteran and new players.

One idea involves rare or special in-match events becoming more likely when experienced players and newcomers are together. Another possibility is an Alliance system that could allow players to specifically request teammates with high ranks.

Experienced players could potentially prioritize helping newcomers, creating an interaction closer to the old FromSoftware tradition of leaving signs for other players before boss fights.

The larger goal is to make helping new players feel rewarding for veterans while making newcomers feel welcomed rather than intimidated.

And that philosophy carries directly into the game’s storytelling.

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The Story Can Happen While You’re Fighting

FromSoftware is not abandoning its storytelling style just because The Duskbloods is multiplayer.

Instead, the studio is trying to weave the story directly into multiplayer matches.

The House of Night, NPC appearances, cutscenes, character customization, and the Bloodlines system will all contribute to how players discover the game’s lore.

Character customization will contain unlocks and abilities that carry meaning beyond their gameplay functions. These elements can connect to characters’ memories, histories, and backstories.

The Bloodlines system takes that idea even further.

FromSoftware wanted character relationships and story progression to exist inside multiplayer matches rather than being separated from gameplay. Bloodlines can reveal connections between characters based on who is participating in a match, which Sigils they have equipped, or which events occur.

That means players could potentially discover new story information through seemingly unexpected multiplayer situations.

A match could suddenly reveal that two characters have a connection. Unique dialogue could appear. A particular event could unlock another piece of information. Players might discover something about the world almost by accident simply because the right characters, Sigils, and circumstances came together during an online match.

For FromSoftware, that unpredictability is a major part of what makes the multiplayer format work for storytelling.

Miyazaki said the team has deliberately placed a lot of emphasis on unexpected dramatic moments. Those moments can emerge from interactions between players, but they can also come from discovering something new about a character or triggering a story element during a match.

Some Bloodlines developments can be checked through The House of Night, where meetings and online events can unlock additional elements and expand a player’s Bloodline.

The relationships between characters could also continue evolving through additional content, although FromSoftware has not revealed anything specific about that content yet.

So yes, The Duskbloods is multiplayer. But the story is not being pushed into the background.

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Nightreign and The Duskbloods Are Not the Start of a Single-Player Exit

This is probably the biggest question surrounding The Duskbloods.

With Elden Ring Nightreign and The Duskbloods arriving as consecutive multiplayer-focused projects, it is easy to wonder whether FromSoftware is preparing to move away from the single-player games that established its reputation.

Miyazaki says that is not what is happening.

He explained that there was never a major plan to release Nightreign and The Duskbloods next to each other as part of some coordinated multiplayer strategy. The two projects were directed by different people, and their ideas simply happened to coincide as multiplayer games.

FromSoftware still has a heavy focus on single-player content.

According to Miyazaki, the back-to-back multiplayer releases are a coincidence rather than a major announcement about the studio’s future direction.

There is also an amusing twist to Miyazaki’s comments.

He said making a multiplayer game has been fun because it is not something FromSoftware has done extensively. The team is excited to see player reactions and receive feedback.

But spending a long time making multiplayer games can actually make Miyazaki want to return to single-player development even more.

The longer he works on multiplayer, the more it scratches the itch to create another single-player game.

When the interviewer suggested that multiplayer and single-player development could potentially influence one another, Miyazaki agreed.

That makes The Duskbloods look less like a permanent departure and more like a new playground for FromSoftware.

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Miyazaki Isn’t Chasing Industry Trends

Miyazaki also made it clear that he does not spend much time studying industry trends when deciding what FromSoftware should create.

His focus is on making the games he personally wants to make, regardless of whether an idea appears to be the safest business decision.

He admitted that he is not particularly good at predicting which project will become the biggest commercial success. That is another reason he values the relationship with Nintendo. Nintendo can provide support in areas outside the core gameplay while Miyazaki and FromSoftware concentrate on the game they want to create.

Still, other multiplayer games naturally inspire ideas.

Miyazaki said FromSoftware sees multiplayer games and sometimes wonders how the studio could put its own spin on similar concepts. He believes playing with other people creates emotions that can differ from the experience of playing alone, even when the underlying experiences share similarities.

And despite the challenges of multiplayer development, Miyazaki is optimistic about online games.

He believes there will always be a need for people to interact with other people. He also sees multiplayer games as something that can continually evolve because there is always more that developers can try.

For Miyazaki, the future of online games is bright, and he does not view the genre negatively.

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The Duskbloods Is an Experiment, Not a Goodbye to Single-Player

When all of Miyazaki’s comments are put together, The Duskbloods starts to make a lot more sense.

This is a game built from years of ideas that did not always have a natural home in FromSoftware’s single-player projects. Systems inspired by Demon’s Souls and Dark Souls, including the studio’s history with Covenants and Invasions, helped establish the foundation. Board games influenced Virtue, tabletop RPGs influenced Sigils, and multiplayer gives the studio room to explore relationships, cooperation, competition, customization, and emergent storytelling in ways that traditional single-player structures could not always accommodate.

Nintendo is also playing a meaningful development role by helping FromSoftware tackle the complexity of the game’s rules, balancing, tutorials, onboarding, and communication.

At the same time, FromSoftware is trying to make The Duskbloods accessible to players who are not obsessed with high-intensity PvP. Co-op options, customizable Kin companions, story progression, character customization, ranked matchmaking, and potential systems connecting veterans with newcomers all show that the studio is thinking beyond the most competitive players.

The game will receive support for bugs and balance after launch, although FromSoftware has not yet announced a broader content roadmap. The studio also expects player feedback to influence how systems such as Sigils, item and enemy placement, and map events evolve.

Most importantly, The Duskbloods does not represent FromSoftware walking away from single-player games.

Miyazaki has explicitly said the studio still has a heavy focus on single-player content. Elden Ring Nightreign and The Duskbloods simply happened to become multiplayer projects at around the same time.

And honestly, that might be the most exciting part of the whole story.

FromSoftware is experimenting.

It is taking old ideas, new systems, board-game mechanics, tabletop RPG concepts, PvP, co-op, character relationships, and storytelling, then throwing them into one strange multiplayer experiment designed for Nintendo Switch 2.

The final game is still subject to change, and Miyazaki has made it clear that player feedback will help reveal what works best. But one thing already seems clear: The Duskbloods is not meant to replace FromSoftware’s single-player identity.

It is a chance for the studio to explore everything that did not quite fit before—and the experience may ultimately leave Miyazaki even more eager to make another single-player game.

Disclaimer

This article is based on statements from Hidetaka Miyazaki in the IGN interview referenced in the supplied source material and conducted during hands-on preview coverage of The Duskbloods. The information presented retains the factual details and development statements contained in the supplied article without adding unsupported claims. Game features, systems, development plans, matchmaking, and post-launch support remain subject to change.

Sources

• IGN — Hidetaka Miyazaki Interview
• IGN Japan — The Duskbloods RPG interview
• The Verge — FromSoftware Duskbloods Nintendo Hidetaka Miyazaki
• Siliconera — How Vampires Influenced The Duskbloods Characters
• Video Games Chronicle — The Duskbloods Hidetaka Miyazaki
• Eurogamer — Hidetaka Miyazaki FromSoftware single-player games
• PC Gamer — Miyazaki says FromSoftware isn’t done with single-player games

Image Credit:

• Featured Image: FromSoftware