Nintendo aired its Nintendo Direct for the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 console on April 2. While many reveals were made about the console’s hardware and planned catalogue of games, one showcase stood out in the final few minutes of the broadcast.
A woman cloaked in shadow reaches for the hands of a pale man slumped in a chair. “I give you my blood,” she said. “I give you my life. Turn, oh wheel, and transport him to a night of moonlight.”
As her hand falls and the screen cuts to black, we are shown the name of a group no one expected: FromSoftware.
FromSoftware is a Japanese game development company who in this trailer revealed their newest upcoming game, “The Duskbloods.” While FromSoftware is well known for many of their methodical action role-playing games, such as “Dark Souls,” “Bloodborne” and “Elden Ring,” “The Duskbloods” is a online multiplayer “player vs. player vs. environment” game.
The game revolves around a group of characters known as the Bloodsworn, people who have transcended the limits of their humanity through the power of special blood and have been summoned to the Twilight of Humanity in order to claim First Blood, according to game director Hidetaka Miyazaki.
Even at a first glance, I was completely sold on this game. I have been a fan of FromSoftware’s catalogue of games for over four years, so to hear that they are developing a new game that incorporates groundbreaking mechanics for their patented “souls” genre, along with sharing a neo-gothic aesthetic with my all-time favorite project of theirs, “Bloodborne,” was almost a dream come true. However, after speaking with people online, there seems to be a vocal population of FromSoftware fans who are not as excited about this game.
For one, there has been a lot of discourse online about the multiplayer aspect of the game. “The Duskbloods” is primarily focused on player vs. player combat, something that FromSoftware’s games haven’t always done well, from their shaky netcode to the difficult nature of playing with friends. However, I have confidence that many of these concerns over the multiplayer focus are misguided, at best, or elitist, at worst.
For one, simple disdain for FromSoftware branded multiplayer simply comes from its poor implementation in previous titles. Multiplayer features in their games, going all the way back to 2009’s “Demon’s Souls,” have always felt tacked on. However, with their commitment to developing a seamless multiplayer game, I have faith that many of these issues are in the past.
This can even be seen with FromSoftware’s closest upcoming game, “Elden Ring Nightreign,” a more co-op “rogue-like” spin-off of their smash-hit title “Elden Ring.” That game will also implement seamless multiplayer functionality, and after the network test back in February, I believe FromSoftware has shown promise in their ability to deliver a fulfilling multiplayer experience.
Among the gaming community, there have also been concerns over the direction FromSoftware is taking with these new games due to a general disdain for poor multiplayer games. Many people I have spoken to believe that this direction is distressing and a sour look for the company.
Firstly, it was confirmed that “Elden Ring Nightreign” and “The Duskbloods” are both smaller projects between the development of FromSoftware’s more traditional titles.
“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,” Miyazaki said in a creator’s voice interview with Nintendo. “The 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.”
Beyond that, however, I feel that Miyazaki has earned the trust of the community not only through his statements in his interview with Nintendo, but through his actions as a developer over the past decade and a half.
Miyazaki stated himself that he doesn’t enjoy PvP games. However, he is still looking to create a game where not only fans of that style of game but also players like himself can enjoy it.
“From superhuman player actions, a free-form combat approach and gameplay that’s dynamic and dramatic to the romanticised aesthetic of the ‘Bloodsworn,’ deep character customization and fragmentary storytelling,” Miyazaki said. “I think there’s a lot to appreciate and enjoy in this title, and I sincerely hope players look forward to it.”
Overall, I am very excited for the arrival of “The Duskbloods” in 2026. Aside from the fact that I sadly must shell out the money for a Nintendo Switch 2, to the chagrin of many FromSoftware fans who I would have to agree with, I believe “The Duskbloods” will be worth the purchase. If you haven’t played any of FromSoftware’s games but are interested in “The Duskbloods,” I recommend trying any one of their recent masterpieces, such as “Dark Souls” or “Elden Ring,” to get a taste of the “souls” genre. If you are still on the fence, I hope you believe me when I say that this game is truly something special and worth appreciating in its own right.
