Looking back, FromSoftware has always been like this. They have always made the games they wanted to make. Although the King's Field series, which could be called their beginning, did not leave a massive mark, the experience gained then became their legacy and finally blossomed with Demon's Souls. Since then, starting with Demon's Souls, FromSoftware released the Dark Souls trilogy, Bloodborne, Sekiro, and Elden Ring in succession, establishing the so-called 'Soulslike' genre and establishing themselves as a developer known to everyone worldwide today.

Now, it might seem natural for them to seek safety rather than challenge, but FromSoftware was different. Under the ethos of 'making the games we want to make,' they have always tried new things. Although Bloodborne and Sekiro are both Soulslikes, they built a thick core fan base by arming themselves with combat systems and charm distinct from the Dark Souls series, and with Elden Ring, they adopted an open world, achieving the greatest success of all time in both sales and critical acclaim. The same goes for Elden Ring: Nightreign (hereafter Nightreign). As FromSoftware's first multiplayer co-op game based on Elden Ring, although it fell short of Elden Ring's renown, it received continued praise for offering fun distinct from previous FromSoftware titles.

With it being FromSoftware's new title, there is no need to state how high gamers' expectations are for 'The Duskbloods'. However, very little is known about the game. Only that it is a Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive, an 8-player PvPvE game based on Soulslike, and that blood and bloodlines are its core keywords.

Detailed information about the game will only be known through the network test running from August 21 to 24. While waiting for the upcoming test, we had the opportunity to interview Hidetaka Miyazaki, president and main director of FromSoftware. What kind of game is 'The Duskbloods' as a completely new IP, why was it built around multiplayer, and above all, does it have any connection to Bloodborne that many gamers are curious about? We heard the answers in an interview conducted at FromSoftware's headquarters.

Since it is multiplayer-based, its connection to Nightreign in terms of game systems seems unavoidable. Some online communities even say Nightreign was released first to test the feasibility of a multiplayer game. What are your thoughts on this?

" It is true that the success of Nightreign and feedback from it provided hints and references for developing and operating 'The Duskbloods' moving forward. However, as asked in the question, releasing the co-op multiplayer game Nightreign first to test the feasibility of a multiplayer game is completely untrue. I think that misunderstanding arose because Nightreign was released first, but in reality, 'The Duskbloods' started development first.

Because multiplayer games came out back-to-back, we get many questions about the connection between the two games and our future strategy, but there is really no intention behind it. Our stance remains unchanged even now: 'We make the games we want to make.' The timing of planning 'The Duskbloods' and the timing of planning by the Nightreign team happened to overlap by chance, and Nightreign just happened to be released first, which seems to have led to this misunderstanding.

After playing the game myself, it felt like an 'Ultimate Souls Tournament' for players who love FromSoftware games. Was this intentional?

" Are you referring to the one from Dragon Ball (laughs)? It wasn't intentional, but the question is fun, so I'd like to introduce it like that from now on. Anyway, while we didn't intend an 'Ultimate Souls Tournament,' it is true that we wanted to create a festival-like game that many people can enjoy together, with shorter play times per match unlike single-player games.

In the final phase, players who have a deep understanding of FromSoftware Soulslikes inevitably seem to have an advantage. For players who are unfamiliar with the Souls series and are entering through 'The Duskbloods' for the first time, this could act as a barrier to entry. How do you appeal to such players?

" Fundamentally, 'The Duskbloods' started from the idea of using understanding of our games (Soulslikes) as a weapon, so if you felt that way, it worked as intended. However, that doesn't mean 'The Duskbloods' target audience is restricted to players familiar with our games. As I mentioned earlier, 'The Duskbloods' aims to be a game that many people can enjoy.

That is also why we included a point system called 'Virtue.' In combat-focused games, highly skilled players naturally have an absolute advantage, but in 'The Duskbloods,' you must raise Virtue to advance to the next phase, and by providing various ways to build Virtue, players can progress up until the final phase without having to engage in PvP.

Of course, in the final phase of the network test build, the match is ultimately decided by PvP, but we are still contemplating how best to handle this aspect. Personally, combat isn't my forte either, so I'm cautious saying this in an interview, but we're also considering adding ways to win through somewhat sneaky tactics (laughs).

Meanwhile, we are continuously adjusting balance. In that sense, this network test is extremely important. Based on the test results, we plan to adjust everything from Virtue values to character combat balance, so we ask for your keen interest.

As a PvPvE game, 'The Duskbloods' has a different style from previous FromSoftware titles. We're curious if there was a specific catalyst for planning this genre. Additionally, please explain how it differs compared to competing PvPvE titles.

" First, I'd like to clear up a misconception. Recently, when people hear PvPvE, they often think of the extraction genre, so some seem to think 'The Duskbloods' is an extraction game as well. Because we initially introduced it simply as PvPvE, that misunderstanding occurred, but strictly speaking, 'The Duskbloods' is not an extraction game.

When we introduced it as PvPvE, our intention was simply that it has both PvP and PvE elements. So rather than understanding it as an extraction genre, we hope people view it literally as a genre containing both PvP and PvE.

The biggest reason we built it as PvPvE was that it was best suited for adding strategic depth to existing action. In typical 1v1 PvP situations, responses tend to be somewhat fixed. By adding PvE, we thought a wider variety of strategies could unfold. Above all, since PvE is already a familiar element to us, leveraging that strength while making a PvP game resulted in a PvPvE game.

From terms and concepts like blood and Kin to the overall atmosphere of the game, rumors persist that it might be connected to Bloodborne. Could you clear this up once and for all?

" I expected this question, but it is a game with no connection whatsoever to Bloodborne. In fact, because we've received this question so often, I almost regret putting the word 'Blood' in the title (laughs). There are merely similar terms and concepts; the themes are quite different.

In this network test, not much of the world's lore is revealed, so it might be difficult to feel the differences. However, in the commercial release (the official launch version), much more of the world lore will be uncovered, and I think by then people will realize the two games are completely different.

We noticed that after putting minor enemies into a staggered state, you can feed on their blood to turn them into thralls, but often they died before filling the stagger gauge, preventing successful blood-drinking. Was this intentional, or is there a specific method for feeding on blood?

" The easiest method is using Roar. While it doesn't deal damage, it can be used to break their stance.

Though not included in this test, among Kin skills there are skills that charm large groups of enemies or charm dead enemies. How players utilize environments with enemies in PvP is a key attraction of 'The Duskbloods,' so we hope players use this actively. We also plan to build the game so that players can actively make use of it.

The test map, Roanro Street, was memorable for its very tall and intricate vertical structure. Creating a map like this couldn't have been easy—were there any difficulties? Also regarding controls, many jump actions like triple jumps, high jumps, and mid-air dashes were added. We'd like to know how those were conceived.

" It's a personal trait of mine, but I have a tendency to want to stack building structures vertically. Realizing that desire naturally resulted in maps with significant height variance like Roanro Street.

The addition of various jump actions is also related to this map structure. In a map of this form, you naturally need to move up and down, but using stairs or ladders like other games would restrict movement and feel frustrating. So we pondered how players could navigate this 3D structure dynamically, and since Kin are beings with superhuman strength, we thought it would be great if they used that power to parkour across the map, which gave birth to the current jump actions.

That's also why all Kin fundamentally possess ranged attack options. Because of the elevation differences, we felt combat would be difficult without ranged attacks, so we included various ranged options, including firearms.

Personally, in competitive multiplayer games, I believe long-term longevity requires diverse builds and metas that counter each other. Taking 'Yan' as an example, his ranged attack is a short-range flamethrower and he specializes in melee DPS. Is it possible through character customization to create unorthodox builds, such as specializing in ranged combat?

" In this network test, players cannot experience character customization or build elements of that sort, but build elements are naturally prepared. In the commercial version, over 10 playable characters will appear, and all of them can be customized in different ways.

For example, it will be possible to create builds specialized for PvP rather than PvE, stealth builds, or custom charm builds specialized for charming mobs, ensuring a wide variety of builds emerge.

When playing Coven (Duo Mode), it felt less stressful compared to playing solo. As a result, players might naturally lean toward playing Duo more often. What are your thoughts on this? Also, which mode do you consider the primary mode, Solo or Duo?

" We don't view either Solo or Duo as the main mode. From a developer's perspective, we hope players enjoy whichever mode they choose freely.

Meanwhile, rather than being a simple Duo mode, we want to establish Coven with its own identity unique to 'The Duskbloods.' For instance, applying roles or rules such as a master-servant relationship or equal friendship between teammates and reflecting that in gameplay. There are many things we want to do, but because there are so many, I'm not yet sure what the final form will be. We are still pondering how to make it a more enjoyable game.

That doesn't mean Solo lacks such rules. When selecting a character, you can choose something called a 'Brand,' which lets you roleplay to an extent within that session. For example, if two players are arch-enemies, finding and defeating that archenemy yields Virtue. We are developing the game aiming for immersion into characters beyond simply winning. We hope players keep these immersive character elements in mind when playing, in both Solo and Coven.

Regardless of developer intent, having Solo and Duo modes usually leads to players flocking to one side. If this shift becomes too severe, the other mode might be neglected. What are your thoughts on this?

" We are still debating internally how to keep the balance between both modes relatively even. Fundamentally, our direction is to offer distinct forms of fun in Solo and Duo modes—unique enjoyment for Solo, and unique enjoyment for Duo.

Though not included in this network test, adding a PvE boss battle in the final phase can serve as an example. Since deciding the final victor purely through PvP can be overly advantageous to players skilled at PvP, we prepared a PvE boss battle as an option for players who are weaker at PvP but strong in PvE. Offering choices like this might satisfy players on both sides.

By providing various options like this, we plan to ensure Solo and Duo modes deliver different kinds of fun. And as an aside, I personally love Coven too.

In Solo mode, forming ad-hoc alliances with other players was possible, but harder than expected. Attempts to send alliance requests were disrupted when opponents attacked without knowing, or when thralls attacked. Will there be easier communication tools, such as in-game voice chat or emotes?

" That was something we hadn't anticipated. While we think such occurrences due to specific situations or thralls carry their own charm, hearing that makes it clear adjustments and considerations are needed. Signifying alliance intent is an area open for further revision. We plan to improve the emote feature so alliance requests can be communicated quickly via voice rather than simple gestures.

However, by voice, I don't mean in-game voice chat using microphones. Rather, it should be understood as adding distinct voice clips alongside gestures as part of each character's emotes. Since each character has a different personality and concept, alliance expressions will differ slightly as well. Besides this, for emotes related to Nemesis Brands, we're considering loud vocal calls to convey intent across wide areas when issuing a challenge, so please enjoy emotes with these features included.

The Inspect feature felt almost unnecessary to use. Since there's virtually no death penalty, players tend to rush in as soon as they spot an opponent. Was there a specific intention behind adding the Inspect feature?

" Originally, it was added as a precursor step for alliance requests—where you had to inspect before sending a request. However, as noted, we felt it would be better to allow players to send alliance requests freely at any time rather than requiring inspection first, so it was split into a separate feature, resulting in its current form. From that perspective, saying you felt no need to use it isn't wrong.

The current Inspect feature isn't meant to give a direct combat advantage; rather, since Virtue can be earned through various non-PvP methods, it functions as an information-gathering tool that players can use or ignore. Rather than a mandatory feature, it's best understood as an addition to offer options. As a side note, inspecting an opponent with certain characters reveals how many healing items they have left, so we're trying to give it utility in that way.

In Solo mode, players who launch third-party ambushes when others are low on health after fighting have a distinct advantage. In Korea, this is even dubbed the 'ABC Rule'—when A and B fight, C wins. While it can be seen as strategy, it's cheap and stressful for the victim. Are there mechanisms in place to alleviate this stress?

" We intend to carefully adjust how situations unfold that way. Fundamentally, 'The Duskbloods' is designed so players don't suffer massive losses from actions by other players. A prime example is the death penalty: in other games, dying means losing items or dropping levels, but in 'The Duskbloods,' dying merely costs a bit of time until respawn.

In the past, we tested a mechanic where dying inside the ritual site allowed opponents to steal Virtue via 'Virtue of the Blade,' but many found it frustrating. Removing elements that cause frustration led to the current design.

Ultimately, we believe the best outcome is for as many players as possible to feel enjoyment rather than frustration and stress in competition, so we plan to adjust frustrating elements as much as possible going forward. This network test is conducted specifically to gather player feedback, so please give us lots of good feedback. We will review it as positively as possible. However, since balance adjustments are never truly finished at one point, we might need to keep improving even after launch.

The locations of growth and farming elements—such as powerful enemies, weapon element infusions, and thrall XP—are fixed, allowing experienced players to run through quickly. Was this intentional? Or is it just because of the test build, and will they be randomized later?

" Fixing the locations was intentional. However, we are still debating whether it's better to keep locations fixed so players can move strategically along pre-planned routes, or to shuffle locations so players prioritize situational judgment on the fly.

For now, by keeping locations of strong enemies fixed, we intended for players to move according to pre-planned routes per area, gathering Virtue and growing without feeling stressed.

There is also a narrative reason. If everything were randomized, I feel it would be nothing more than a simple battle royale. For example, if there's a clock tower, shouldn't items or monsters fitting a clock tower be there? Emphasizing this narrative led to fixed locations. We hope this also acts as a strategic element for enjoying the game.

FromSoftware is famous for its unique storytelling. However, since 'The Duskbloods' is multiplayer-based, there's concern story depth might be shallow. How do you plan to bring story elements to life?

" 'The Duskbloods' also boasts narrative on par with our previous games. Though excluded from the test build, originally there is an NPC on the second floor of the hub who you can speak with to progress the story. Furthermore, during character customization, players can catch glimpses of fragmentary stories for each character. Fundamentally, providing settings and world lore in fragments for players to interpret from multiple angles will not differ much from our previous games.

Some might worry the narrative volume will be small because it's multiplayer-based, but that isn't the case. We are currently in full swing writing 'The Duskbloods' unique story, so please look forward to it. Players who enjoy digging into story and world lore will find 'The Duskbloods' just as enjoyable as past titles.

Lastly, a word for Korean players, please.

" For FromSoftware, while 'The Duskbloods' isn't our very first multiplayer-based game, it is indeed an uncommon challenge. With various ways to play and fight, what players find enjoyable will differ, and I'm curious and excited to see where everyone finds their fun. As a game in the PvPvE genre infused with our distinct flavor—different from existing games—we ask for your great anticipation.