FromSoftware president and The Duskbloods director Hidetaka Miyazaki has explained why Nintendo became the studio’s partner for the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive, and his answer highlights an area where FromSoftware has traditionally struggled: making its complex systems easy for new players to understand.
Speaking to IGN, Miyazaki said Nintendo’s strengths in player onboarding and communication made the company the “right partner” for The Duskbloods. The upcoming game is built around a complex multiplayer structure featuring PvPvE gameplay, Virtue points, Sigils, character customization, and other systems that differ significantly from the traditional Soulslike formula.
While Nintendo’s business relationship with FromSoftware is important, Miyazaki suggested that the partnership also provides creative support. He said Nintendo has been receptive to the project and can offer feedback, balancing support and ideas while helping the team present its complicated mechanics more clearly to players.
Nintendo Could Help Make The Duskbloods Easier to Learn
Miyazaki openly acknowledged that FromSoftware has not always been great at immediately explaining its games to players. Previous titles often dropped players into unfamiliar worlds and expected them to discover important mechanics on their own, but The Duskbloods is taking a different approach.
“Also with the complexity of the systems, the onboarding tutorials and making sure players understand how the game works and how to succeed in the game is something we’ve historically not been super great at conveying instantly,”
Miyazaki told IGN.
“We’ve definitely just dropped players in and hoped they would figure it out.”
That is where Nintendo’s involvement could become particularly important. Miyazaki added,
“In this case, Nintendo is definitely the right partner for better conveying that information in a way that is understandable to the player; it definitely suits their strengths.”
The comments suggest The Duskbloods could offer a more detailed introduction to its systems than many FromSoftware games. IGN’s hands-on preview noted that the Network Test already included a multi-step tutorial designed to introduce players to the basics.
The game is still expected to maintain the depth and challenge associated with FromSoftware. Miyazaki explained that the final release will include character customization, lore, story content, and different ways to approach matches, giving players more than one reason to engage with the game.
Nintendo Was Interested in FromSoftware’s Unusual Multiplayer Idea
Miyazaki also revealed that The Duskbloods was something FromSoftware initially discussed and pitched to Nintendo. According to the director, Nintendo was
“very excited and very receptive to the idea”
and appeared “very forward thinking” about how the game could be developed.
The project brings together several ideas Miyazaki had wanted to explore for years. FromSoftware’s previous games, including Demon’s Souls and the Dark Souls series, featured online mechanics such as Covenants and Invasions, but the studio also had multiplayer ideas that did not fit naturally within a primarily single-player structure.
The Duskbloods gave Miyazaki an opportunity to use some of those concepts in a new way. The game’s Virtue system draws inspiration from board game-style victory points, while its Sigil system has similarities to tabletop RPG mechanics.
Nintendo’s role could therefore go beyond publishing a Switch 2 exclusive. Miyazaki said the company’s feedback and support are valuable because The Duskbloods has a particularly complex ruleset, while Nintendo can help communicate those ideas to players in a more understandable format.
The Duskbloods Will Not Change FromSoftware’s Focus on Single-Player Games
Despite following the multiplayer-focused Elden Ring Nightreign, Miyazaki stressed that The Duskbloods does not signal a permanent shift away from FromSoftware’s single-player games. He explained that the studio still has “a heavy focus on single-player content as well,” and the two multiplayer releases happened to arrive close together rather than representing a major change in strategy.
Miyazaki remains optimistic about online gaming, however, saying there is “definitely a bright future” for multiplayer experiences because players will continue to want meaningful interactions with others.
For Nintendo Switch 2 owners, The Duskbloods could become one of the platform’s most unusual exclusives. Its success may depend not only on FromSoftware delivering another challenging experience, but also on whether Nintendo can help the studio make its ambitious systems easier for players to understand without removing the depth that makes the game stand out.
