IGN has had the chance to interview the acclaimed Hidetaka Miyazaki about his upcoming multiplayer epic The Duskbloods which is currently running a closed network test. One thing IGN asked Mr. Miyazaki about is how the relationship with Nintendo happened. Miyazaki says that he feels that “Nintendo is definitely the right partner” for The Duskbloods and he has no regrets about making it exclusive to the platform. Here’s what he said along with a preview of The Duskbloods in video format.
IGN: Following up on this being a Switch 2 exclusive, is there more you can share about how and why you went with Nintendo, a little bit more detail about how the partnership came about? I know you said that you pitched this and it’s pretty much the idea from the start.
Miyazaki: In terms of the reason that we initially decided to go with Nintendo, we had had an opportunity to discuss the idea for the game with them and I think they seemed very excited and very receptive to the idea, they seemed very forward thinking in terms of how to do it. Before considering the business aspect of it, that alone was something that I found very appealing and gave me a lot more reassurance for moving forward with this.
Of course the game isn’t out yet so there are more things to consider, but in terms of the relationship currently and how we think it’s going, up until this point – the systems and the overall ruleset of the game are very unique, and I think having someone who can constantly give us feedback, support, additional ideas, and the balancing first of all because these features are quite complex and difficult – having this relationship is definitely key to that. 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. We’ve definitely just dropped players in and hoped they would figure it out. 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.
“…and I think having someone who can constantly give us feedback, support, additional ideas, and the balancing first of all because these features are quite complex and difficult – having this relationship is definitely key to that.”
Indirect way of saying Sony gives little to no support?
Probably. It’s also a little known fact that Miyazaki disliked what SONY did with the Demon’s Souls remake, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he gave them some direction that they ultimately ignored.
I’m going to have to disagree here.
Think this is going to flop hard. Sw2 is totally the wrong audience.
Is that your way of saying you’re salty because it’s a Switch 2 exclusive?
I’m excited for Duskbloods, but let’s not get things twisted here. The game has had a lot of pushback from people who were displeased with the game being a multiplayer battle royale type game rather than the typical PvE adventure game like Dark Souls and Elden Ring that FromSoft is known for. Not everyone who enjoys FromSoft games enjoy the multiplayer and PvP experiences these games have and would rather it have more of a single player focus.
Personally, I wish it was Switch 2’s Bloodborne. I wish it wasn’t a multiplayer PvP game. But I also know that this studio is great with their theming, gameplay, and ludonarrative synchronicity, so I’m excited for the game regardless of what I initially wanted it to be. It simply wouldn’t be fair to others to disregard their opinions as just being “salty”.
Except that saying things like “it’s going to flop hard” and “is totally the wrong audience” is definitely salty.
The most likely scenario is that FS got massive burnout from working so much in ER and wants to branch out. Plus, since Sony is sitting on BB without showing signs of making something out of it, they went to someone who could actually support their projects.
I could easily name cases when the product, in fact, flopped due to being the wrong audience. Duskbloods, definitely, won’t be one.
I own a Sw2 but it doesn’t belong on this console. FS knows exactly what type of game the fans want and it isnt this PvP.
Elden Ring Nightreign begs to differ.
People do like the multiplayer aspect of FS games enough for them to make two games out of it. Plus there’s no such thing as “it doesn’t belong on this console”. That’s just hate.
Give up on anything Bloodborne related, since it’s tied to Sony and, apparently, they don’t want to make anything with it. Or, worse, they’ll make something digital-only for 2028.
I think the point Danbogard is trying to make about the “wrong audience” claim is that FromSoft’s audience doesn’t necessarily mean Nintendo/Switch 2 audience. I won’t pretend I’ve seen everyone’s opinion, but I’ve seen plenty of FS fans state explicitly that they don’t want to buy a Switch 2 just for The Duskbloods. I’m sure if The Duskbloods wasn’t 1) Multiplayer focused and 2) Switch 2 exclusive, there would be massive hype for the game. I’m very interested to see how well this game does by the end.
Appreciated Cosmic. Nailed it !
And this kind of talk has been heard far too often for Bayonetta or Astral Chain too…
For me, it’s pure jealousy; you can’t claim that it won’t sell or that there’s no audience for it. This kind of talk against Nintendo has been exhausting for over 30 years.
First you said “salty” now you’re claiming it’s “jealousy”. Sofi, just accept that not everyone is going to have the exact same opinion as you. Someone not sharing your opinion does not make their opinion inherently negative or invalid either. The way you speak here makes you sound very narcissistic, but I’m not one to make judgement calls on others character.
And before you lump me in the camp of “Nintendo haters” like you appear to readily and often to do, I’m very excited for The Duskbloods. I’m going to participate in the Network Test this weekend and will likely buy the game on day 1 based on FromSoft’s pedigree alone. So stop making these character judgement comments on people; it makes you look bad.
It’s a fromsoftware game, that alone will make this sell a ton. If Elden ring sold 30 million, then this will do well.
There are enough die hard Nintendo fanboys (me included) that have been so dissed by AAA companies so hard for the last 2 decades that this game will sell a couple million copies no matter what the premise was. The fact that it comes from a AAA developer with a strong pedigree and is on a Nintendo console is reason enough to buy for many people. And it’s been hyped for so long. I believe it will sell more than kirby air riders