Arguably, the most unexpected game announcement made during the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct was FromSoftware's The Duskbloods. Today, Nintendo has published a lengthy interview with FromSoftware president Hidetaka Miyazaki, revealing lots of information on the upcoming game.
The creator of Demon Souls, Dark Souls, Sekiro, and Elden Ring revealed that the project started on the original Nintendo Switch. When Nintendo reached out about the Switch 2, FromSoftware realized it would have been better off making it for the more powerful console.
Miyazaki confirmed it is a PvPvE game, which is a formula that the studio considers very interesting because 'it allows for a broad range of game-design ideas while also letting us leverage our experience of designing challenging enemy encounters.' However, the revered game designer also wanted to clarify in no uncertain terms that the Japanese studio is not at all abandoning single player games, despite The Duskbloods and the imminent launch of Elden Ring Nightreign, which is also focused on multiplayer:
Please allow me to address one thing. 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.
Miyazaki then proceeded to reveal a few tidbits about the setting of The Duskbloods. Players will be able to pick from over twelve playable characters, all of whom belong to a group called Bloodsworn. These Bloodsworn attained superhuman abilities by drinking special blood in a manner not unlike vampires, although the creator said they focused on the romantic side of the vampire lore instead of the monstrous side. The Bloodsworn are reportedly competing for something called 'First Blood', being summoned to the 'Twilight of Humanity' across various places and times. That's why the trailer showed very different locations.
Given their background, the Bloodsworn will be able to pull off more dramatic moves than in previous FromSoftware games. Also, due to the setting, each character will be equipped with some sort of ranged attack (mostly firearms), in another distinction from the studio's usual melee focus. The characters can also be customized to an extent.
In The Duskbloods, players will first join a hub area before jumping into a match where up to eight players can participate at once. Usually, the victory condition is simply 'last man standing,' but in some cases, it may be required to band together and defeat a PvE boss. The game also implements Victory Points, which are not necessarily connected to direct combat, allowing for alternative playstyles. An event system was introduced to ensure matches would feature variations, such as a special enemy or bonus side objectives.
Lastly, Miyazaki-san outlined a role system that is still being finished. One player could choose the Destined Rivals role so that another player in that match would be designated as their rival; finding and defeating them would be a personal goal with its own rewards. On the other hand, Destined Companion requires a player to find another player who was randomly designated as their companion, which results in a special reward if they can form a bond.
There's no doubt that The Duskbloods sounds very interesting. It's just unfortunate that it'll be exclusive to the Nintendo Switch 2, similar to Bloodborne on PlayStation 4, instead of being available on all platforms like Dark Souls or Elden Ring. The game is currently slated for a 2026 launch.
