Summary
- The Duskbloods was originally envisioned as a Nintendo Switch game.
- From the beginning, FromSoftware worked with Nintendo on its vision for the game.
- Miyazaki believes the Switch 2’s focus on online features will be a boon for The Duskbloods.
The announcement of The Duskbloods, a player-versus-player-versus-environment (PvPvE) game by FromSoftware, was one of the highlights of Nintendo’s recent Switch 2 direct. The existence of a Switch 2-exclusive FromSoftware game was wholly unexpected, especially one under the directorship of Hidetaka Miyazaki, acclaimed director of the Dark Souls trilogy, Elden Ring and Bloodborne.
Nintendo recently released an interview with Miyazaki, where he spoke about the creation of The Duskbloods, some basic information about the game’s premise and FromSoftware’s relationship with Nintendo.
Collaborative Effort
“A while back, we had the opportunity to meet with Nintendo to discuss ideas, and during this discussion, we presented a rough outline for The Duskbloods,” Miyazaki explained. “It was still very bare-bones at the time—more of a loose string of ideas than a proper presentation. The concept itself was different from anything we had done before, and Nintendo seemed very interested in helping make it a reality.”
Miyazaki goes on to explain that FromSoftware had a small team working on The Duskbloods, and it was originally intended to be released for the Nintendo Switch. However, Nintendo approached the team and revealed the existence of the Nintendo Switch 2, and so FromSoftware decided to change their strategy towards making the game a Switch 2-exclusive to better take advantage of the new system’s much-improved hardware.
“The new hardware’s focus on online features allowed us to stay as true to the original vision as possible, which was very good news for us,” Miyazaki said. A large proportion of the Switch 2 Direct was indeed focused on online play, which appears to be a pillar of the Switch 2’s design.
The interview also revealed additional information about The Duskbloods. The players are part of a faction named the Bloodsworn, people with superhuman abilities granted by consuming special blood, in a similar vein to vampires. These Bloodsworn are competing for “The First Blood”, an event that signifies the end of humanity. There is no fixed setting for The Duskbloods, because competitions for The First Blood can take place anywhere. This means the game’s maps also take place in different time periods, be they Victorian/Gothic-inspired castles or more modern cityscapes as seen by the section of the trailer that features a running train.
FromSoftware has announced a 2026 release date for The Duskbloods, but hasn’t specified an exact release date. The game is a Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive.
The Duskbloods
- Released
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2026
- Multiplayer
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Online Multiplayer
- Number of Players
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1-8 players