FromSoftware Boss Explains Why Elden Ring Is Not His ‘Ideal Fantasy RPG’

Reflexes

• FromSoftware president Hidetaka Miyazaki says Elden Ring is not his "ideal fantasy RPG."
• However, the 2022 hit Soulslike comes close to Miyazaki's dream game.
• One thing that makes it difficult for the industry veteran to reach his ideal is the lack of surprises when playing his own games.

Fire ring It's still not the "ideal fantasy role-playing game" that Hidetaka Miyazaki has been trying to create for years, the FromSoftware boss said. However, the industry veteran believes he is not far from that goal and suggests whatever comes next Fire ring can get you even closer to the game of your dreams.

Miyazaki is currently on a press tour of sorts, as he's been deeply involved in publisher Bandai Namco's efforts to promote Shadow of the Erdtree. He First and last Fire ring expansion It is scheduled to arrive on PC and the last two generations of Xbox and PlayStation consoles on Friday, June 21.

Elden Ring is getting 'closer' to Miyazaki's Dream Fantasy RPG

As part of these ongoing promotional efforts, Miyazaki recently He sat with PC Gamer's Wes Fenlon, who visited him at FromSoftware's western Tokyo headquarters, located in the city's bright Shinjuku district. During the subsequent interview, the famous game designer reflected on some of the comments he made before Fire ringThe critically acclaimed release., when he said he was still in the process of creating his "ideal fantasy role-playing game." That effort continues to this day, and Miyazaki opines that 2022's Soulslike is "not quite" his dream game, though "it's getting close."

Miyazaki would like his own games to surprise him, in some way

When pressed for more details, the industry veteran said with a laugh that it's hard to divulge something without spoiling your "next idea" or even FromSoftware's "next games." But he did reveal one thing that continues to prevent him from achieving his ideal: the element of surprise, or lack thereof. Of course, this is an extremely personal matter. perspective on soulslikes from FromSoftwares that is exclusive to the person in charge of overseeing its creation from start to finish. Miyazaki acknowledged this and said that he would prefer someone else to create his ideal fantasy game so he could enjoy it as a player rather than knowing everything that will happen beforehand.

Until that happens, he'll keep trying. But it's unclear if that means he'll somehow try to steer the studio's future games in a direction that might make them surprising even for him. The most obvious way to do this would be to introduce some kind of randomness in the sense of procedural generation. However, such techniques are completely at odds with The FromSoftware Design Philosophywhich rose to fame due to its heavy emphasis on handmade and meticulously planned content.

Fans can expect to learn more about the Japanese studio's next project in the near future, possibly in early 2025. This is largely because FromSoftware is never silent for long between releases, as it has historically announced less new projects. one year after any game or DLC. Those who preceded them were immediately left out.