Miyazaki suggests FromSoftware is keen to return to single-player games after The Duskbloods and Elden Ring: Nightreign

The Duskbloods, FromSoftware’s upcoming Switch 2 exclusive, is a multiplayer vampire-themed game that challenges conventional genre categorization. While initially labeled a “PvPvE” title, studio president Hidetaka Miyazaki acknowledged the descriptor is misleading, as the game bears little resemblance to extraction shooters commonly associated with that term.

The gameplay involves eight players exploring a map filled with enemies, earning “Virtue” points through combat and objective completion. Players with the lowest virtue scores are progressively eliminated across multiple rounds until three finalists remain to battle for “First Blood,” a mysterious substance central to the game’s narrative. Matches typically last 30 minutes across four distinct phases.

The game draws inspiration from classical vampire literature, George R.R. Martin’s vampire fiction, and the tabletop RPG Vampire: The Masquerade—particularly its house rules, which influenced The Duskbloods’ Virtue System. The result is a hardcore multiplayer experience that defies easy categorization, with reviewers describing it as fundamentally different from existing game formats.

Miyazaki stated that The Duskbloods and Elden Ring: Nightreign happened to be multiplayer games coincidentally, not through deliberate studio strategy. He reassured fans that FromSoftware remains committed to single-player experiences and plans to return to that focus following these two multiplayer projects. The partnership with Nintendo proved significant in development, improving onboarding and tutorial systems—a departure from FromSoftware’s historical approach of minimal guidance.

Miyazaki suggests FromSoftware is keen to return to single-player games after The Duskbloods and Elden Ring: Nightreign

Sources