FromSoftware head Hidetaka Miyazaki belives Dark Souls 2 was ‘a great project’ despite backlash

For all of you who defended Dark Souls 2 over the past decade—your battles were not in vain, as even FromSoftware’s chief executive believes it was “a great game.” Hidetaka Miyazaki even sees Dark Souls 2 as a pivotal project that influenced all of FromSoft’s future games.

Recently, Elden Ring director and FromSoftware studio head Hidetaka Miyazaki spoke to IGN and said lots of good things about the black sheep of Souls games, Dark Souls 2. Miyazaki agreed with IGN’s notion that Elden Ring and Dark Souls 2 are closely related in terms of design, as each game features a hands-free and open-ended design, compared to some other FromSoftware games. “In regards to Dark Souls 2, I actually personally think this was a really great project for us,” Miyazaki explained, adding that if it never happened, it’s likely they wouldn’t have figured out the ideas and design choices that “carried the rest of the series.”

Miyazaki also remarked on the importance of Dark Souls 2 for allowing new directors to shine and have the opportunity to develop a FromSoftware Souls game without Miyazaki’s direct involvement. This allowed the studio to explore new ideas that would otherwise never come to light, and Miyazaki even believes “there’s really no way of telling how or if the series would have continued the way it did without Dark Souls 2.” Seeing as Dark Souls 2 is often shunned by parts of the FromSoftware fan base, it’s refreshing to hear such remarks from the studio’s chief executive.

During the conversation, Miyazaki also said FromSoftware is actively looking to bring new directors in to work on “Souls-ish” games, and that he’d like to step away from the supervisory role and let them do their own thing. “I think really this is the best way and the easiest way for them to flourish within that environment and with those new projects,” he said.

Dark Souls 2 saw director Yui Tanimura come forward as a crucial figure in subsequent FromSoftware games, including Dark Souls 3 and Elden Ring, both of which he co-directed. Armored Core 6 recently also had a different director, Masaru Yamamura, who was previously the design lead on Sekiro. Both have achieved financial success on all their projects, so it appears Miyazaki’s plan is working perfectly.