BODY: Ahead of the network test for FromSoftware's Nintendo Switch 2 action title The Duskbloods, the studio held a hands-on preview for press โ and afterward, director Hidetaka Miyazaki took questions about the project he himself has called a "strange game."
The Duskbloods is a PvPvE title, mixing player-versus-player and player-versus-environment combat in the same session. That framing has made some fans nervous: FromSoftware built its reputation on solitary, brutal single-player worlds, and the prospect of forced online duels rattled the faithful when the game debuted at a Nintendo Direct. Miyazaki's central message in the interview was reassurance โ the versus element is an option, not an obligation.
According to Miyazaki, players who want to avoid confrontation with other "Bloodsworn" can steer toward cooperative and environmental objectives and still reach satisfying outcomes. The design goal, he explained, is to preserve the tension and discovery FromSoftware is known for while giving the multiplayer layer room to breathe. Combat against other players becomes one of several paths through a match rather than the only route to victory.
The "strange game" label, Miyazaki suggested, comes from how the title blends competitive and cooperative impulses inside a single run โ a structure that resists easy comparison to either FromSoftware's earlier work or to conventional battle-royale designs. The preview build was tied to an upcoming network test, the studio's first broad look at how the systems hold up with real players online.
The insider take
For Tokyo watchers, the framing here is telling. FromSoftware knows its core audience skews toward players who prize atmosphere and dread over head-to-head competition, and Miyazaki's careful emphasis on "you don't have to fight other players" reads as damage control aimed squarely at that base. Launching a Switch 2 exclusive built around online multiplayer is a notable strategic bet for a studio whose biggest hits โ Elden Ring chief among them โ thrived on single-player mystique. Expect the network test feedback to shape just how optional that PvP really ends up being.
Originally reported by 4Gamer.net โ ๆๆฐ่จไบ (Japanese).