Bloodborne is no doubt one of the greatest games to come out of not only FromSoftware and Hidetaka Miyazaki, but the Japanese games industry as well. Developed in collaboration with PlayStation’s Japan Studio, the title racked up immense critical acclaim and undying love from fans, which persists to this day.
In a 2014 interview with 4Gamer, Miyazaki spoke about the studio’s development philosophy while making the creepy gothic action-RPG, and how its ambition meshed with a common notion surrounding Japanese games at the time.
Hidetaka Miyazaki Had To “Approach Things Differently” For Bloodborne
Towards the end of the interview, 4Gamer acknowledged that Bloodborne was among the bigger games to come out of Japan, while bringing up the notion of Japanese studios’ smaller games potentially falling short in comparison to the super expensive AAA games from Western studios.
They then asked Miyazaki if he thought about this a lot while making Bloodborne, and tried extra hard to ensure it feels like a FromSoftware game, to which he replied:
That’s a tricky topic. Speaking strictly about Bloodborne, the project has become quite large, but at the same time, I think that our particular style is still very much intact. It’s not so much a conscious decision that we keep our unique style intact, but more that it just happens naturally. Either way, the result is that we probably do end up approaching things somewhat differently.
Miyazaki’s answer showed a clever way of thinking about it, suggesting that FromSoftware has a special way of making games that’s built right by the developers, akin to innate talent. This focus on inherent identity is a big reason why FromSoftware is so successful. Known for being challenging and having beautiful, scary worlds filled with lore, their games have a colossal fanbase.
FromSoftware Didn’t Want To Stray From Their Core Identity
Bloodborne‘s ambition didn’t change this core feeling. The desolate streets of Yharnam and the ghastly beasts that roam them are yet another example of how FromSoftware mixes atmosphere and challenge in their games.
This interview also hinted at the balancing act FromSoftware may have had to perform between developing one of their biggest games and their identity. There’s no doubt that making a huge game like Bloodborne probably meant they had to do things in new ways. Big AAA games are often made with stricter plans and more people than FromSoftware was used to.
Miyazaki saying their creative process is ‘natural’ suggests they found ways to make this big game fit their usual way of doing things, keeping the game feeling whole even though it was much bigger.
This success underlines how good FromSoftware is at keeping their identity intact by making their games feel special, regardless of whether they’re huge like Elden Ring or small like Déraciné. Players can always expect a masterfully crafted world, and the classic FromSoftware difficulty that pushes them to their limits.
Miyazaki’s interview shows how important it is to have a strong creative vision, and how game studios need to carefully balance their ambition with their identity, with Bloodborne being a great example. One thing is for sure: Japanese games have been a cornerstone of the industry since its inception, and will continue to be some of the best games ever.
