The Switch 2's Relief

FromSoftware's upcoming multiplayer game, The Duskbloods, originally began development on the original Switch back in 2021, according to director Hidetaka Miyazaki in an interview with The Verge. The team struggled to get the game running on the base console, leading to uncertainty about how they would achieve their vision. Miyazaki told The Verge that they were "definitely very happy" when they heard about the Switch 2, because "The Switch 2 came along and all of those problems were solved."

He explained that the turnaround was a direct result of Nintendo's support. "The Duskbloods is a challenging game for us," he said, noting that the studio required help with system design and rules, as well as fine-tuning. Nintendo provided tech support and, crucially, assistance with onboarding and tutorials, which Miyazaki acknowledged as an area where FromSoftware historically struggles. "There are a lot of new things in terms of designing the systems and the rules," he said, "and Nintendo has provided a lot of support in that regard. Things like onboarding and tutorials for players are something that we are historically not great at, so the support they've provided in that regard has been very, very good."

The Duskbloods' Network Test Outperforms Nightreign

The network test, held over the weekend, offered a small slice of the game to a limited audience. The test was intended to stress-test servers, but the response was notably strong. In an interview with Famitsu, translated by GamesRadar+, producer Yasuhiro Kitao revealed that more players signed up for The Duskbloods closed network test than for the multi-platform Elden Ring Nightreign. "We were really surprised," he said, referencing the fact that The Duskbloods is exclusive to the Switch 2, a platform with a smaller installed base compared to the combined PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox One audience Nightreign targets.

Despite the higher sign-ups, Kitao acknowledged that it remains uncertain whether The Duskbloods will retain more players at launch, suggesting that Nightreign might still come out on top given the broader platform reach. This early enthusiasm is seen as a positive indicator for a multiplayer game that lives and dies on its player population.

Design Philosophy: Bloodsworn and Victorian Gothic

In a media briefing reported by 4Gamer and translated by GamesRadar, Miyazaki discussed the game's characters, known as Bloodsworn. He emphasized that they are not vampires, but a species with intelligence, philosophy, culture, and history. "If it's called a Bloodsworn, then it's a Bloodsworn," Miyazaki said, explaining his broad approach to character design, which contrasts with traditional vampire archetypes.

He themstyle of The Duskbloods as Victorian gothic, and to underscore this design philosophy, he pointed to the character Zork from the network test. Described as a "heart-stealing diving bell with a beak," Zork's design is inspired by plague physician masks, a historical reference that while not a vampire, fits the setting's thematic tones.

Gameplay and Other Details

While the network test was just a rigorous isolate, it offered a preview of the core loop. The combat is similar to Dark Souls, with light, strong, long-range, and character-specific attacks, set on a map called Lowanro City, with Gothic landscape reminiscent of Bloodborne's Yharnam. Players can jump or launch into the air with mini-jumps, and there is no fall damage. The objective is to collect Virtue, with periodic culling phases that shake up the match. Matches start with eight players, and the final fourth phase shrinks the field to three.

In addition to multiplayer actions, players can form pacts with other allies, known as "kin," and team up. The cast includes Albert, a vampire swordsman; Senator Samir Patres, who has a dinosaur form; and the already mentioned Zork as a jetpack diver.

Miyazaki's Commitment to Single-Player

These multiplayer elements are not a sign of FromSoftware abandoning its roots. Miyazaki stated that the studio is not moving away from single-player games, explaining that the current titles happened to be multiplayer by circumstance: "It's not necessarily some big reveal saying that this is the direction we plan to go moving forward." This aligns with the studio's refusal to give The Duskbloods a concrete release date beyond "sometime this year," against the backdrop of these new multiplayer experiments.

Miyazaki has also promised future content, including story elements tied to the hub, character customization, additional maps, and a new fourth phase, indicating that The Duskbloods is projected to evolve post-launch.

Perspectives

FromSoftware: The developer behind The Duskbloods, producer Yasuhiro Kitao, and director Hidetaka Miyazaki, expressed surprise at the high number of network test applications and lauded Nintendo's support during development.

Nintendo: While not directly quoted, the success of the Switch 2 as a platform and the publisher's reported assistance with tutorials and onboarding suggest that the company's collaboration with FromSoftware played an important role in the game's development.