// THE VERGE — GAMING
FromSoftware can do anything
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The Elden Ring studio continues to chart new paths through games like The Duskbloods.
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There’s something just a little bit different about FromSoftware’s office in Tokyo. Like with any other successful video game studio, there’s extensive security to get in the door, a minimalist lobby with framed posters from the studio’s most recent releases, and a large glass display case filled with statues from ceremonies ranging from the BAFTAs to The Game Awards. But the hallways are painted black, a fitting theme for a developer known for crafting dark, gothic worlds and a hint at what new creations are lurking inside.
While it has largely become known for a singular style of action game — dubbed “Soulslike,” after the massively influential Dark Souls series — FromSoft has steadily continued to try new things, pushing its signature style into new genres. Perhaps the most extreme example of this is the studio’s next release: The Duskbloods, a competitive multiplayer game set in a world of vampires that will be exclusive to the Switch 2 and published by Nintendo when it launches later this year. It’s a new genre, new setting, new platform, and new publisher all rolled into one game. But after Elden Ring, which has sold more than 30 million copies since it launched in 2022, the team at FromSoft now also feels more assured in expanding their horizons.
“With the success of Elden Ring, as a company it has definitely allowed us to explore, I wouldn’t say risky ideas, but things that we might not have had the confidence for,” FromSoftware president Hidetaka Miyazaki, who also directed both Elden Ring and The Duskbloods, told me during a recent hands-on event at the studio’s office.
The studio’s rise to this point has been slow and steady. FromSoft’s first release was the dungeon crawling RPG King’s Field in 1994, and while it launched a consistent stream of titles after that — including the cult-hit mech battling Armored Core series — it was more than a decade later when the studio really started making its mark with the release of Demon’s Souls in 2009. Directed by Miyazaki, the game thrust players into a harsh fantasy world, one where death was a constant and the combat was punishing. It was an experience that demanded a lot from players, but also rewarded their patience with thrilling victories and a story that gradually revealed itself.