Hidetaka Miyazaki became a talismanic figure in the gaming industry after Demon’s Souls course-corrected and was released to critical acclaim from peers and fans. Ever since, he has created the Dark Souls trilogy, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Bloodborne, and Elden Ring.
Demon’s Souls and the Dark Souls series were heavily enshrined with the signature Soulslike formula that endeared Miyazaki and FromSoftware to the fans. However, back in 2016, after the release of Dark Souls 3, Hidetaka Miyazaki outlined his desire to move away from the Souls series and build something better.
8 years down the line, the success of Elden Ring and its DLC Shadow of the Erdtree means that Miyazaki has fulfilled his claim of wanting to “keep creating something special“.
Elden Ring Marks Hidetaka Miyazaki’s Successful Departure from Soulslike
When Demon’s Souls was released back in 2009, the game became a cult classic, giving FromSoftware and Hidetaka Miyazaki some much-needed success. Building on it, the studio released the Dark Souls trilogy, all of which went on to be huge hits with fans. Sekiro was the team’s first foray outside of the Souls world.
But with Elden Ring, Miyazaki and his team truly embraced the open-world setting. George R. R. Martin’s worldbuilding was employed for an immersive experience in the game. Incidentally, he might have also been the one to let slip that Elden Ring might be a sequel to Demon’s Souls.
But the key difference in the game lies in the fact that it is set far away from the dungeons of the initial Souls series games. After the release of Shadow of the Erdtree, fans will be smart to not expect any more Soulslike games.
In his 2016 interview with Kotaku, Miyazaki had said,
I can’t deny the fact that the Souls series is something special to me, so I am happy to know that people have that sort of image of me. Even if that image stays with me, I have no intention of ending in a way where I couldn’t create a game that surpasses the Souls series. That would be pretty sad, wouldn’t it?
But Elden Ring showed that he has successfully moved away from the Souls series image to become a global gaming icon.
What Next for Miyazaki and FromSoftware?
The team of developers at FromSoftware has made no announcements regarding their next project. If their track record is anything to go by, a lot can be expected of them. However, Hidetaka Miyazaki has stated that he and his team are not going to work on a sequel to Elden Ring. Instead, they want to take on a new project.
Previously, in an interview with GameSpot, Miyazaki had stated that if given an unlimited budget, he would be open to rebooting the games Ultima Online and EverQuest.
However, there has been no official update from FromSoftware yet. Fans will have to wait until the team releases any updates or statements regarding their future projects. Till then, Shadow of the Erdtree is likely to remain the last entry in the Souls series.
What are your thoughts on Miyazaki’s statement about moving away from the Souls series? What do you think will be the way forward for FromSoftware? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
