Developer FromSoftware is gearing up for The Duskbloods with a network test and a recent hands-on preview that I got to take part in. Coming off of its most recent game Elden Ring: Nightreign, which is a co-operative multiplayer experience, and now the upcoming PvPvE with The Duskbloods, you might be wondering if the studio has another single-player game lined up. Rest assured, FromSoft isn’t putting all its eggs into the multiplayer basket.
As part of a conversation I had with FromSoftware president and The Duskbloods director Hidetaka Miyazaki, I asked if doing back-to-back multiplayer games was indicative of the direction the team is going. He reassured us that they’re not done making single-player games.
“It’s not necessarily some big reveal saying this is the direction we plan to go in moving forward. 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 told me. He continued, “It’s funny because there was never really any big plan that these two games would both release next to each other.”
He explained that he and the team have had a lot ideas pile up over the years and and saw The Duskbloods as an opportunity to try those out. Heavily influenced by board games and TTRPGs when it comes to gameplay mechanics, he also said, “these things seemed like great ideas but didn’t really fit the context of a single-player game.”
Miyazaki talked about how this is the kind of game he wants to see exist and made something he himself would want to play. “Personally, it’s very fun to make a multiplayer game like this. It’s not something we’ve done a lot and we’re looking forward to seeing players’ reactions and getting feedback,” he said.
He concluded by telling me, “If anything, it’s like the more you work on something multiplayer for a long time it scratches that itch only to want to make something single-player again.” \
At a time when chasing live-service multiplayer success continues to be a trend, you can never be too sure. But given the success of FromSoftware’s previous games, another single-player game would of course make sense since that is its legacy.
Be sure to read my full interview with Miyazaki where we talk about partnering with Nintendo, future plans for The Duskbloods, and more. And check out my hands-on preview of The Duskbloods after playing it for eight hours.
Michael Higham is an editor at IGN who regularly contributes with reviews, previews, features, and news in written and video form. He’s usually entrusted with covering long RPGs and tech products, but he’s got range when it comes to games. You’ll also catch him at events and hosting video content, including IGN’s weekly podcast Unlocked.
