No one can deny the impact Hidetaka Miyazaki has had on modern gaming. He pioneered the Souls genre, which introduced many mechanics that would go on to define how video games are viewed. Unfortunately, his reign might just come to an end, given how FromSoftware has functioned recently.
The studio’s latest project, Elden Ring Nightreign, built on the foundation of Hidetaka Miyazaki’s 2022 title, hasn’t really hit off well amongst the fans, at least in the launch period. And with The Duskbloods, a Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive lined up next, its success can determine his impact and FromSoftware’s goals in the future.
Hidetaka Miyazaki and the double-edged sword called The Duskbloods
Hidetaka Miyazaki, despite being the president of FromSoftware, has now found himself in a bit of a pickle. As I said before, Elden Ring Nightreign has received mixed reactions from the fans, which leaves the legacy of the studio to be now defended by The Duskbloods next.
However, the dilemma is that if the Nintendo Switch 2’s exclusive does manage to become successful, it could likely steer the company to focus on multiplayer games forever, something that the Souls community would never want. Even the renowned director has talked about this in the Creator’s Voice Blog by Nintendo, where he stated the following:
As previously mentioned, this is an online multiplayer title at its core, but this doesn’t mean that we as a company have decided to shift to a more multiplayer-focused direction with titles going forward, The Nintendo Switch 2 version of Elden Ring was also announced, and we still intend to actively develop single player focused games such as this that embrace our more traditional style.
The president of FromSoftware promises fans that despite focusing on multiplayer titles for now, the studio will still ‘actively develop single-player focused games.’ Unfortunately, this might not be enough to convince fans.
Capitalism rules over promises: Why fans are uncertain of FromSoftware’s future
While Hidetaka Miyazaki might have promised that the studio’s values would remain the same, their actions tell another story. In the span of a very short time, FromSoftware has announced and has been actively working on not one, but two different multiplayer titles.
The studio is testing new genres to explore in the future, which is natural for every game studio to do. However, diving down the rabbit hole of multiplayer games is something fans of Souls games, including myself, don’t want. We have seen what it has done to those who are the best in the business, and yes, I am looking at you, Concord.
Hidetaka Miyazaki has managed to build an unmatched legacy over the past couple of decades. If his Switch 2 exclusive, an experimental title, does become a blazing success, it remains very likely that FromSoftware, guided by the interests of stakeholders, will push for more multiplayer regardless of whether he wishes to do them or not, thus, possibly putting an end to his era.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
