The Japanese site 4Gamer.net published a long interview with Hidetaka Miyazaki, the president of FromSoftware, in which he talks about Elden Ring, the studio’s upcoming games and projects, as well as his own projects. He reveals the existence of their next title, but without naming it.
Feedback on Elden Ring and its future
It’s been over 3 months since Elden Ring was released, and the game has sold over 12 million copies. The team took into account both positive and negative feedback, in order to think about it carefully. One of its strengths is that it has reached an audience that hasn’t necessarily played the studio’s previous titles, such as Dark Souls. It is something they appreciate, but they are not sure of the specific reasons behind this phenomenon. Their main tracks are the collaboration with George RR Martin, and the fact that the game is both larger and more open. Elden Ring has set the bar very high, and it seems difficult to surpass it in the future, but it’s not something FromSoftware is pushing for, since it’s just going to hurt development from their point of view, and s turn out to be a nuisance. It also risks making them too conservative in their approach. They prefer to take an idea, and prioritize what they want to create, even if it’s a risky project like Sekiro.
Finally, updates for Elden Ring are still planned, but no details were given.
FromSoftware’s title has an incredibly rich story and universe that players have barely begun to explore. While waiting for official announcements, we go over some ideas and topics that could be used in future content.
Upcoming titles from FromSoftware
In 2018, FromSoftware had 3.5 teams on different projects, two of which are yet to be revealed. One of those games was Sekiro, half was the PS4 VR game Uprooted. The first unrevealed title was obviously Elden Ring, the second is still in development, and as Miyazaki says, they are in the final stages. They managed to develop several projects in parallel, and to create Elden Ring, by actively recruiting, a new site dedicated to job offers at FromSoftware opened on June 24.
As Miyazaki mentions, he doesn’t serve as the director for all the projects. It lets the people involved apply their own vision to these projects, without interfering. He also insists on the fact that they seek to improve the treatment of employees in recent years, with salary increases, and bonuses in the event of good performance of the company. This bonus would be 4 months salary with Elden Ring.
Now, Miyazaki would like to employ ideas and concepts that he hasn’t been able to use in the studio’s action-RPGs. He would like to work on a fantasy work, with more abstract elements than in his previous works. An example of the genre would be the studio’s VR title: Déraciné. Miyazaki prefers to give control of several titles to new directors, while he concentrates on his own projects. In any case, it is too early to talk about the other titles.
The studio’s games are often at the center of various rumors. The latest is that Hidetaka Miyazaki would be involved in a third-person shooter, in a universe of science fiction and mechas.
A few months ago, a rumor suggested that the famous unannounced title from FromSoftware would be a new game from the Armored Core license. A series of combat mecha games. Few gamers know about the license these days, and even fewer know that it was developed by FromSoftware. It must be said that the majority of ArmoredCore were released before the studio gained popularity with Dark Souls. This is obviously not official, and it is possible that the reality is quite different. This title would be in any case in development since at least 2016, and it is to be expected that it will be formalized soon.