My name is Hidetaka Miyazaki. I work at FromSoftware (1), and I am the director for The Duskbloods.
(1) FromSoftware, Inc.: A game development and publishing company. They have developed games such as Elden Ring and have released Dark Souls: Remastered on Nintendo Switch.
First off, please tell us what led to this title being developed for Nintendo Switch 2.
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.
It was still very bare-bones at the time—more 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. So that’s when the project kicked off.
At first it was being worked on by a small team as a title for Nintendo Switch. However just as the game started to take shape, we were approached by Nintendo with talk of Switch 2, which led us to revamp our development path with this new hardware in mind.
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.
It sounds like the game differs from most of your previous titles. Can you give us a little more detail as to what type of game it is?
In terms of structure, we consider it a PvPvE (2) title. At its core, it’s an online multiplayer* focused game, with both player vs player and player vs enemy gameplay.
(2) An acronym referring to a style of fighting where, in addition to players fighting each other, players also fight enemies (CPUs) that appear in the game.
Did you always have some desire to make a PvPvE type game?
Yes, I’ve always found the PvPvE structure very interesting. It allows for a broad range of game-design ideas, while also letting us leverage our experience of designing challenging enemy encounters.
As a side note, please allow me to address one thing. As previously mentioned, this is an online multiplayer title at its core, but this doesn’t mean that we as a company have decided to shift to a more multiplayer-focused direction with titles going forward.
The Nintendo Switch 2 version of Elden Ring (3) was also announced, and we still intend to actively develop single player-focused games such as this that embrace our more traditional style.
(3) Nintendo Switch 2 software planned for release in 2025. Elden Ring is a fantasy action RPG set in a massive open world, where you develop your character according to your playstyle.
Please tell us about the game’s characters and setting.
The game’s protagonists, or characters controlled by the player, are known as “Bloodsworn.” The Bloodsworn are a group whose members have achieved super-human abilities through the power of special blood. As a general concept, they’re similar to vampires, but they are not portrayed as the horrifying monsters you might associate with traditional vampirism.
We tried to extract the sort of romantic aspects we found interesting from concepts such as vampires and “blood” and reinterpreted them as the Bloodsworn.
In The Duskbloods, the Bloodsworn are competing for something known as “First Blood.” As human society reaches an end, First Blood flows in an event known as the “Twilight of Humanity.” The Bloodsworn are summoned to the Twilight of Humanity across a variety of different times and places in a bid to obtain First Blood.
Due to this, there is no fixed era or location in which The Duskbloods takes place. There are more traditional Gothic- or Victorian-style maps as well as those depicting the closing years of the early modern period, like the one glimpsed in the trailer with the train running through it.
Can you let us know the meaning behind the title The Duskbloods?
The Duskbloods directly refers to the Bloodsworn themselves. As mentioned earlier, the Bloodsworn are summoned to the Twilight of humanity in a battle for First Blood. “Duskbloods” is a collective term for these characters controlled by the player.
It sounds like blood plays a pretty big role in the game.
Yes. In the context of this game, blood is used more conceptually, as opposed to literal meanings like physical depictions of injury.
Blood symbolizes one of the game’s key themes—the history it holds, the power it passes on, the fates it weaves and the marker of those who have surpassed the limitations of their own humanity.
■ Part 2: Superhuman Abilities and Opportunistic Behavior
What are some characteristics of the Bloodsworn?
There are several reasons we put the players’ focus on the Bloodsworn, with one of those being character actions.
The Bloodsworn possess superhuman abilities thanks to special blood, so their actions are more dramatic than anything seen in our previous titles.
Even basic character actions in this game such as sprinting, super jump, and double jump are designed to be dynamic and stress free and are complemented by each character’s own unique weapons and abilities, allowing for a wide range of creativity.
Also, and while this isn’t directly related to the Bloodsworn themselves, the setting allows for the depiction of firearms and such, and every character is equipped with some means of attacking from a distance. I feel this is one of the game’s unique aspects when compared with our previous titles. I hope these new action elements are one area that players will enjoy.
Earlier you referred to “protagonists” or “characters” as plural. Does this mean the player will be able to choose from multiple different characters?
Yes, there are over a dozen characters for the player to choose from, each with their own identity and appearance. I think there are a lot of unique elements to the character designs and the weapons they use, so hopefully players can find one or two favorites among them.
Also, each character can be customized to a certain extent, allowing players the fun of building a character that feels like their own.
Can you provide some more detail on the general gameplay loop?
The game has a so-called “hub” area, where players can choose their character, customize them and enter online multiplayer*. Online multiplayer supports up to 8 players. Upon concluding an online match, players then return to the hub, at which point they receive some sort of reward whether they win or lose. Using these rewards, players can further customize their character, and so the cycle continues.
Online matches are generally last player standing, however there are certain cases where victory conditions differ. For example, players may be tasked with teaming up to take down a powerful boss enemy, or find themselves in other special circumstances.
So, victory conditions are influenced not just by PvP (4) results, but PvE (5) results as well?
That’s right. Some victory conditions center around defeating a boss enemy.
(4) An acronym for the style of game where players fight other players.
(5) An acronym for the style of game where players fight enemies (CPUs).
I can’t think of many examples with that ruleset. It sounds very interesting.
I’m happy to hear you say that.
Regardless of whether it’s PvP or PvE, the idea is to provide players with an experience that allows them to learn and hone their skills as they play. We’ve therefore designed the PvE boss encounters to present a tough challenge and a sense of accomplishment upon defeating them.
So players can also enjoy improving their own skills over time as they battle?
Yes. Although there are a variety of elements in place that keep the game from becoming too stoic. For example, how players conduct themselves during the match is just as important as direct combat.
The Duskbloods implements “Victory Points,” which are responsible for ultimately deciding the outcome of a match. To obtain Victory Points, direct combat is of course important, but it’s not the only way. Some players may prefer to earn points by avoiding direct combat and instead engaging in more opportunistic behavior. How you earn points is entirely up to you.
Additionally, each character can summon an entity to assist in combat, giving players a high degree of freedom when it comes to how they fight—and win.
Another important aspect is match variables, such as the event system. This system has the potential to alter the course of the match, such as special enemy spawns and additional objectives with accompanying bonus rewards.
In the trailer, you may have noticed a giant stone face looming in the sky. This is one example of the events that can occur in a match. In this case, the appearance of this stone face affects the environment and changes match rewards, which can have an immediate impact on player motivations and objectives.
These events don’t happen all the time, and I hope discovering them gives players some incentive to keep coming back.
It sounds like even those who tend to shy away from PvP can still enjoy themselves.
That was the intention. I personally am not much of a PvP person, and I wanted to make something that’s satisfying even for players like me.
While the goal of a match is to obtain First Blood, there are personal objectives that provide separate rewards to the player as well, so I hope these add to the fun of each engagement.
What other ways might players enjoy the game outside of combat?
One thing I love doing in any game I direct is leaving fragments of lore and worldbuilding details, allowing the player the fun of using their imagination to make connections. The Duskbloods is no exception to this.
However, we’ve gone about it a little differently from previous titles. The fragments this time are found in the previously mentioned character customization items: their “blood history and fate.” Customizing a character will reveal a piece of information regarding the world and its unfolding story.
You customize their “blood history and fate”?
Yes. Analyzing and altering a character’s blood history and fate allows players to customize all sorts of things, from their abilities, appearance, and inner characteristics to the role they play in the world and relationships with other characters.
Focusing these elements on the concept of “blood” or “blood history and fate” allowed for a deeper exploration of customization and is another reason we placed the Bloodsworn as the protagonists.
Do you mind sharing any other points you personally find interesting?
One area I haven’t talked about yet is “roles.”
In online play*, roles give players special responsibilities and objectives that often lead to unique interactions and relationships between players based on their corresponding roles.
That’s probably not much info to go on, so allow me to provide a few examples. But please note we’re still finalizing some of the naming and details.
For example, if a player possesses the “Destined Rivals” role, another player is designated as their rival, and they are tasked with finding and defeating that player. Doing so counts as achieving a personal goal, separate from the overall victory conditions.
Another example is “Destined Companion,” where one player is required to seek out another designated as their companion, which results in a special reward if they form a bond with one another.
Roles can be assigned to any character via blood customization, allowing players to enjoy role-playing in a literal sense and hopefully adding to the drama of these engagements.
Kind of like how players can pick their roles in a table-top RPG (6)?
Exactly. While not entirely intentional, it may reflect my own interests a bit. It might seem a little unorthodox at first, but I hope players will give it a try.
(6) Role-playing games played with things like dice and player, with players interacting with each other while following rules described in a rulebook.
That reminds me, I was curious about the winged rat character seen in the trailer. Can you provide some details as to what role this character serves?
That character shares a similar role with the fire keepers from the Dark Souls series. They remain in the hub area, providing the player with advice and guidance.
I suppose you could say we tried doing something a little Nintendo-esque in the spirit of the partnership.
What do you mean by that?
We tried something cute for a change. Although I will say this character is actually an elderly gentleman (laughter).
(Laughter) Is there anything else you’d like to say before we finish?
In addition to creating a PvPvE title, we’ve tried our hand at introducing a lot of new and interesting ideas with The Duskbloods.
From superhuman player actions, a free-form combat approach, and gameplay that’s dynamic and dramatic to the romanticized aesthetic of the Bloodsworn, deep character customization and fragmentary storytelling, I think there’s a lot to appreciate and enjoy in this title and I sincerely hope players look forward to it.
