The Soulslike genre has grown stale after Elden Ring, and only FromSoftware can take it to strange new places
The Soulslike genre, born from FromSoftware’s Dark Souls and popularized by Elden Ring’s massive success, risks becoming creatively exhausted as numerous developers attempt to replicate the formula. According to Rock Paper Shotgun, the proliferation of Soulslike titles following Elden Ring has led to diminishing returns, with many games offering superficial imitations of the genre’s core appeal rather than meaningful innovation.
The author argues that only FromSoftware possesses the design philosophy and creative vision necessary to evolve the Soulslike formula into genuinely new territory. While the genre was initially defined by Dark Souls’ intricate level design and challenging combat, subsequent imitators have largely focused on replicating surface-level mechanics without understanding the deeper design principles that made FromSoftware’s work compelling.
With Elden Ring demonstrating the genre’s potential for mainstream success, the challenge now lies in preventing the Soulslike from becoming a generic AAA template. The piece suggests that without fresh creative direction—which the author believes only FromSoftware can provide—the genre risks stagnation despite its current market prominence.