Prepare to take on enemies with and against friends in the new game from Hidetaka Miyazaki
In its latest Creator’s Voice interview article, FromSoftware’s Hidetaka Miyazaki shed more light on the darkness in the newly announced Switch 2 exclusive The Duskbloods. The game, announced during the giant Nintendo Switch 2 Direct this past week, is a PvPvE experience in which players will battle each other and in-game enemies in their quest to find the First Blood, a source of life at the end of humanity. Interestingly enough, the game development originally started for the Switch 1 before Nintendo revealed to FromSoftware the Switch 2’s power and capabilities, after when the project switched(!) over.
In the game players will be superpowered individuals who gain their abilities from blood; Miyazaki & team’s aim has been to focus more on the “romantic” aspects of the vampire idea, not necessarily the morbid or terror-based side that is prevalent in the genre.
The game takes place across time periods as players battle to get that lifeblood, so there’s no real fixed era — however, the Bloodborne similarities are right there as aspects of the plot and setting are eerily similar to the PlayStation game and its gothic city of Yharnam. But that’s where that ends, as the game’s multiplayer mode evokes some of what Elden Ring: Nightreign has going for it.
The big change for the game, of course, is that online multiplayer. While FromSoftware has been known for its incredible single player experience, the gradual shift towards online has been apparent. More aspects have been added to their recent games, from summoning to leaving notes, to more, so the company believes that there is a big value to having the world connected. But, have no fear, as Miyazaki states that games that focus on that core single player experience are still a part of who they are and will continue going forward.
Duskbloods will have 8-player matches that feature different conditions. Sometimes it’ll just be a free-for-all with the last player alive receiving the First Blood, and other times it may require teaming up with another player, or taking down a specific boss. Win conditions are also achieved via earning points, which can be based on offensive or defensive maneuvers, for example. The developers want players to approach the game how they want, so that flexibility will be there.
Lore is especially a huge part of the worlds that FromSoftware develops, and here that will take place in the character customization system. As First Blood is attained and skills and abilities are unlocked, bits of lore will open up when players improve their characters. Will a hat give us details on a time period? Who knows! (We will, when we play it, obviously.)
The Duskbloods is developed by FromSoftware. It will be published in the US by Nintendo and the rest of the world by FromSoftware, and will launch exclusive for the Switch 2 in 2026.
Source: Nintendo
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