There’s no doubt that the soul-like genre has exploded since the days of King’s Field, Dark Souls and Bloodborne; Elden Ring is the epitome of the success of the genre. With the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC explosion, one should expect anything Hidetaka Miyazaki, the president of FromSoftware and the creator of Elden Ring, release will be a hit, but does the creator feel the same?
Will FromSoftware create another hit like Elden Ring?
In an interview with The GuardianMiyazaki said, “No decision is based on some assumption that, hey, we’ve done it once, it’s going to happen again. Allowing for that fairly conservative prediction gives us room to fail — and that in turn results in better games and better decisions. Directionally , I think that assumption of not making another hit, that conservative perspective, motivates and helps our game design.”
Miyazaki and his team’s humble approach to creating and designing video games may be the key to their success. Instead of setting out to make a blockbuster, FromSoftware creates the game it wants to make. FromSoftware has fine-tuned the challenging soul-like gameplay by making adjustments so that it feels different between titles, allowing the games to feel similar yet distinct at the same time.
What’s next for Miyazaki and FromSoftware
FromSoftware nailed the action RPG, but it’s not the only genre Miyazaki has an interest in. Miyazaki was involved as a director with the PlayStation VR exclusive Deracine, a story-driven game rather than action. He also worked on Armored Core IV: Fires of Rubicon, a combat shooter. Such a wild twist from FromSoftware’s usual soul favorites shows that the possibilities are endless for what title Miyazaki will work on next.
What excites me most is Miyazaki’s interest in traditional JRPG games, as he brought up in an interview with rolling stone. While FromSoftware created a JRPG called Enchanted Arms, this was before Miyazaki’s time, just as King’s Field was. I really hope we get a JRPG with Miyazaki’s world building and aesthetic.
That said, FromSoftware has plenty of options for where they could go next. Miyazaki is done with Elden Ring now, but that doesn’t mean Elden Ring 2 is off the books. We could also see a sequel to Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Dark Souls 4, or even the highly requested Bloodborne remake. Regardless of FromSoftware’s next steps, fans will likely eat it up, despite Miyazaki’s lack of pride.
For more on Elden Ring, check out Everything you need to do before the Elden Ring DLC comes out here in Pro Game Guides.
