Miyazaki made clear that Dark Souls 3 will provide “closure” for the series, but more than that serve a point from which From Software will “move on” towards new projects. Miyazaki doesn’t say outright that Dark Souls, Bloodborne and the Souls titles overall are ending, but he does imply a shift in direction for the studio:
As it reads, Miyazaki seems to be saying the Dark Souls will not be continuing past Dark Souls 3. More than that, he implies that it might be the end for all of From Software’s current Souls-esque titles, thought perhaps not immediately. Nevertheless, whether the From Software’s Souls titles end with Dark Souls 3 or with another title or two, any shift away from the genre would be a huge surprise to see. Miyazaki’s success is intrinsically tied to these projects. They’re adored by the masses. Moving away with that would be a very courageous (and risky) decision.
Yet perhaps the end of Souls isn’t what Miyazaki is implying here. Obviously he very clearly saying that he’s concerned with “indefinitely” creating these games, and also that he sees a new direction for From Software going forward. But perhaps there’s a sentiment being lost in translation. Perhaps what Miyazaki is saying is that from here onward, he’ll be able to take full ownership over these works, whereas previous projects always felt inherited. It’s not surprising that Miyazaki would see escaping from a trilogy as large as Dark Souls as a new beginning.
Could a more experimental From Software be in our future? Considering the company existed for over a decade mostly due to the Armored Core franchise, which is outrageously popular in Japan, Dark Souls’ success must open a lot of doors for the company. And Miyazaki, who later in the interview says if he had unlimited budget and free pick of franchises would take on Ultima Online or EverQuest, certainly has lofty aspirations.
It’d be a shame if From Software stopped making Souls titles, especially off the back of the success of Bloodborne. Despite other developers trying to imitate them, no one has the art of it like From. Yet at the same time it’s hard to deny how exciting it’d be for From Software to experiment with something else, especially something more multiplayer focused like perhaps Miyazaki is hinting at. Dark Souls 3 may prove the end of an era at From Software, but a bright new future may just be beginning.
Source: GameSpot
