The Duskbloods is a multiplayer game. Not multiplayer in the way that most FromSoftware games are multiplayer, facilitating friends and randos dropping in and out to help with boss fights. No, it’s multiplayer multiplayer.
FromSoft Doubles Down
If you saw the reveal trailer at the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct, that may come as a bit of a surprise. That first look was dripping with atmosphere as it showed players navigating a dark, gothic world that looked more than a little like Bloodborne. Certain shots hinted that both co-op and competitive multiplayer might come into play, but it didn’t give the impression that it was primarily multiplayer.
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The Duskbloods looks a whole lot like Bloodborne, but the trailer reveals some major wrinkles.
Certainly not in the way Elden Ring Nightreign’s reveal trailer did. When FromSoftware announced its upcoming multiplayer spin-off at The Game Awards, it did so with a trailer that frontloaded the multiplayer elements. There were tons of shots of players teaming up to face off against big boss monsters. Add in a purple energy wall closing in around the play space and it was immediately clear that this was a game you play with friends.
Not so for Duskbloods, and FromSoft may have soft-pedaled that information because of how closely it follows the release of Nightreign.
The Elden Ring spin-off is due out next month, and The Duskbloods will follow in 2026.
The Souls fans who come to these games for intricate level design, moody environments, suffocating atmosphere, and ambient storytelling are not happy that FromSoftware is serving up two multiplayer-focused games in a row. Add in that The Duskbloods looked an awful lot like Bloodborne, and some feel that FromSoftware has gotten their hopes way, way up for nothing.
FromSoftware Works Too Fast For This Much Doubt
And, if this was Rockstar or Naughty Dog or Bethesda, I would understand the disappointment. If your favorite developer puts out one game a console generation, it can be a bummer when they spend that time on something you aren’t remotely interested in. If, instead of the GTA 6 trailer, Rockstar had dropped a first look at Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis 2, I would be kinda annoyed, that I’ll grant you.
But, FromSoftware is not like Rockstar or Naughty Dog or Bethesda. It puts out a new game every year or two. Elden Ring: Nightreign marks the seventh full game it’s dropped in the past decade, and that’s not including remasters like Dark Souls 2: Scholar of the First Sin or expansions like Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, which is longer than many standalone games. That’s nine full-length experiences in ten years. In the triple-A space, only Ryu Ga Gotoku works faster.
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I get it. I primarily go to FromSoftware games for single-player experiences, so Nightreign isn’t for me and Duskbloods may not end up being my cup of tea, either. But I don’t see a reason to expect that this is a permanent direction for FromSoftware. After all, the studio just had its biggest hit ever with Elden Ring, a largely single-player game, then followed it up (just last year, it’s worth remembering) with a gigantic piece of single-player-focused DLC. Its two TGA GOTY wins are both for single-player-focused games — in Sekiro‘s case, exclusively single-player.
FromSoftware is making two multiplayer games in a row, sure. But that’s no reason to forget that the vast majority of its games since it broke into the mainstream with Dark Souls have been primarily single-player. Two is a repetition, but it isn’t a trend. If it announces a third multiplayer only game, then it might be time to worry. Until then, we can wait a little longer for a single-player follow-up. It will probably still arrive before the next one from Naughty Dog.
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