---
title: "Miyazaki Explains Why The Duskbloods Is Exclusive to Nintendo Switch 2"
url: "https://www.nintendoreporters.com/en/news/nintendo-switch-2/miyazaki-explains-why-the-duskbloods-is-exclusive-to-nintendo-switch-2/"
description: "FromSoftware president and The Duskbloods director Hidetaka Miyazaki has shared more details about why the upcoming multiplayer game is being developed exclusively for Nintendo Switch 2."
author: "Patrick Dankers"
published at: "2026-09-01 21:43:55"
image: "https://www.nintendoreporters.com/storage/files/miyazaki-explains-why-the-duskbloods-is-exclusive-to-nintendo-switch-2.jpeg"
markdown url: "https://www.nintendoreporters.com/en/news/nintendo-switch-2/miyazaki-explains-why-the-duskbloods-is-exclusive-to-nintendo-switch-2.md"
---

Miyazaki Explains Why The Duskbloods Is Exclusive to Nintendo Switch 2 | Nintendo Switch 2 News | NintendoReporters

 [![Miyazaki Explains Why The Duskbloods Is Exclusive to Nintendo Switch 2](https://www.nintendoreporters.com/storage/files/miyazaki-explains-why-the-duskbloods-is-exclusive-to-nintendo-switch-2.jpeg "Miyazaki Explains Why The Duskbloods Is Exclusive to Nintendo Switch 2")](https://www.nintendoreporters.com/storage/files/miyazaki-explains-why-the-duskbloods-is-exclusive-to-nintendo-switch-2.jpeg)**Summary:**

FromSoftware president and The Duskbloods director Hidetaka Miyazaki has shared more details about why the upcoming multiplayer game is being developed exclusively for Nintendo Switch 2. While FromSoftware has historically had relatively little involvement with Nintendo hardware, the relationship appears to be changing considerably. Miyazaki explained that early discussions with Nintendo proved encouraging because the company was enthusiastic about the concept and receptive to the unusual ideas behind the project. That reaction apparently gave him additional confidence in moving forward before the business considerations surrounding the partnership were even taken into account.

Nintendo’s involvement also appears to extend much further than simply securing The Duskbloods as a console exclusive. According to Miyazaki, Nintendo has been providing feedback, ideas, balancing assistance, and support as FromSoftware develops the game’s unusual systems and rules. One particularly interesting area is player onboarding. FromSoftware has built a reputation for games that often leave players to discover mechanics and systems through experimentation, but Miyazaki openly acknowledged that clearly explaining complicated systems hasn’t traditionally been one of the studio’s greatest strengths. He believes Nintendo is particularly well suited to help make those mechanics understandable. With The Duskbloods featuring an unconventional multiplayer structure and several interconnected gameplay systems, that development relationship could ultimately have a noticeable influence on how approachable the finished game feels.

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## [](#miyazaki-explains-why-the-duskbloods-became-a-nintendo-switch-2-exclusive)Miyazaki Explains Why The Duskbloods Became a Nintendo Switch 2 Exclusive

The announcement that The Duskbloods would be exclusive to Nintendo Switch 2 immediately raised an obvious question: why Nintendo? FromSoftware’s biggest modern releases have largely been associated with PlayStation, Xbox, and PC, making a Nintendo-exclusive project from Hidetaka Miyazaki an unexpected development. Miyazaki has now shed more light on that decision, explaining that the relationship began with an opportunity to discuss the game’s concept directly with Nintendo. According to Miyazaki, Nintendo responded with considerable enthusiasm and was receptive to what FromSoftware wanted to create. He also described Nintendo as forward-thinking in its approach to the project. That reaction mattered enough that Miyazaki found the potential partnership appealing even before considering its business implications. Rather than sounding like an exclusivity arrangement that began primarily with a commercial deal, his explanation suggests the creative relationship and Nintendo’s enthusiasm for the concept played an important role from the beginning.

### [](#fromsoftwares-limited-history-with-nintendo-makes-the-partnership-stand-out)FromSoftware’s Limited History With Nintendo Makes the Partnership Stand Out

The Duskbloods is particularly notable because FromSoftware has not traditionally been closely associated with Nintendo platforms. Dark Souls: Remastered arrived on Nintendo Switch in 2018, giving Nintendo players access to one of the studio’s best-known games, but most of FromSoftware’s major releases during the following years appeared elsewhere. That makes the studio’s increasing support for Nintendo Switch 2 difficult to overlook. The Duskbloods represents an even bigger commitment because it isn’t simply a port of an existing release. It is a new FromSoftware property being created specifically with Nintendo’s latest hardware in mind and is officially described as exclusive to Nintendo Switch 2. Nintendo previously revealed that development originally began with a small team targeting the original Nintendo Switch before the introduction of Switch 2 caused FromSoftware to reconsider its development path. The newer hardware’s online capabilities ultimately allowed the studio to pursue its original multiplayer ambitions more closely.

### [](#nintendos-enthusiasm-helped-convince-miyazaki-to-move-forward)Nintendo’s Enthusiasm Helped Convince Miyazaki to Move Forward

Miyazaki’s explanation makes Nintendo’s initial reaction to The Duskbloods sound particularly important. FromSoftware wasn’t simply searching for a platform holder and settling on Nintendo after comparing commercial possibilities. Miyazaki said the studio had an opportunity to discuss the idea with Nintendo and found the company both excited and receptive. That appears to have offered an early vote of confidence for a project that differs significantly from many of FromSoftware’s best-known releases. The Duskbloods combines competitive and cooperative multiplayer ideas through a PvPvE structure, placing up to eight players into battles where temporary cooperation can exist alongside rivalry. For a developer best known for carefully constructed single-player and cooperative action RPG experiences, that creates a different design challenge. Having a partner that immediately understood the idea and wanted to help make it work appears to have reassured Miyazaki that Nintendo was a good match for the project.

### [](#the-partnership-goes-beyond-a-typical-exclusivity-agreement)The Partnership Goes Beyond a Typical Exclusivity Agreement

The relationship described by Miyazaki sounds more collaborative than simply putting a platform holder’s logo on the box. Nintendo has apparently remained involved by offering feedback, support, and additional ideas throughout development. That distinction matters because The Duskbloods revolves around systems that Miyazaki himself describes as unique and complicated. FromSoftware has decades of experience designing challenging action games, but a multiplayer project built around unusual rules creates different problems involving balance, communication, matchmaking expectations, and how quickly players understand what they are supposed to accomplish. Miyazaki specifically highlighted the value of having someone continuously provide feedback as these elements evolve. Nintendo therefore appears to be functioning as another set of experienced eyes on the project, helping FromSoftware evaluate whether the systems work as intended rather than simply waiting for development to finish. For a game where understanding the rules could dramatically affect the experience, that ongoing feedback may prove especially valuable.

#### [](#nintendo-is-providing-feedback-on-the-duskbloods-complex-gameplay-systems)Nintendo Is Providing Feedback on The Duskbloods’ Complex Gameplay Systems

The Duskbloods isn’t structured like a straightforward traditional Souls game. Players become Bloodsworn of Dusk, supernatural fighters empowered by special blood, before entering online matches containing as many as eight participants. Those players can encounter enemies while simultaneously competing with one another, creating the PvPvE structure at the heart of the game. Temporary alliances and rivalries can form along the way as everyone pursues the right to claim First Blood. Systems like these introduce plenty of moving parts. A mechanic that works perfectly on paper can become confusing once eight people with different abilities, objectives, and strategies collide in the same match. Miyazaki indicated that Nintendo has provided support around balancing and the broader ruleset, areas where outside feedback can uncover problems developers may no longer notice after working with a system for months or years. Nintendo’s contribution could therefore influence not only accessibility, but also how naturally the game’s many mechanics fit together.

#### [](#player-onboarding-is-one-area-where-nintendo-can-make-a-difference)Player Onboarding Is One Area Where Nintendo Can Make a Difference

Perhaps the most revealing part of Miyazaki’s comments concerns tutorials and onboarding. The Duskbloods appears to contain enough interacting systems that simply throwing everyone into a match and expecting them to understand the rules could quickly become frustrating. That problem is amplified in multiplayer. Misunderstanding a mechanic in a single-player game might cost you a few minutes or send you back to a checkpoint. In an online match, the same confusion can affect several other players at once. Miyazaki believes Nintendo is particularly strong at communicating information in ways that players can understand, making the company a useful partner when designing how The Duskbloods introduces its mechanics. That doesn’t necessarily mean FromSoftware is about to cover the screen with endless instructional windows. Instead, Nintendo’s feedback could help the studio communicate complicated ideas more elegantly while preserving the satisfaction of learning through play that has become such a recognizable part of FromSoftware’s design philosophy.

##### [](#miyazaki-admits-fromsoftware-has-traditionally-let-players-figure-things-out)Miyazaki Admits FromSoftware Has Traditionally Let Players Figure Things Out

Miyazaki was refreshingly candid about FromSoftware’s usual approach to teaching players. He acknowledged that the studio hasn’t always been particularly good at immediately explaining how its games work, joking in essence that players have often been dropped into the experience and expected to figure everything out themselves. Anyone who has wandered through Lordran, Yharnam, or the Lands Between probably understands exactly what he means. FromSoftware games frequently treat confusion as part of discovery. Players experiment, fail, compare notes, and eventually understand systems that initially seemed almost deliberately mysterious. That philosophy can be rewarding, but The Duskbloods creates a different challenge. Multiplayer rules need enough clarity that everyone participating understands the basic framework. Miyazaki specifically identified Nintendo as the right partner to help communicate those ideas more effectively, saying that presenting complicated information in an understandable manner fits Nintendo’s strengths. It is an interesting meeting of two very different design traditions.

### [](#the-duskbloods-represents-a-different-kind-of-fromsoftware-project)The Duskbloods Represents a Different Kind of FromSoftware Project

The Duskbloods isn’t simply another Souls-style adventure wearing a different costume. FromSoftware describes it as an online multiplayer action game with PvPvE mechanics, and Miyazaki has previously discussed influences that extend beyond the studio’s familiar action RPG formula. Matches allow players to fight enemies and one another while forming temporary alliances and competing for First Blood. The Bloodsworn themselves possess different weapons and supernatural abilities, creating another layer of strategic complexity. That structure means balancing individual characters is only one piece of the puzzle. FromSoftware also needs to consider how objectives, alliances, combat encounters, player behavior, and match progression interact. This helps explain why Miyazaki values Nintendo’s continuing feedback so highly. When developers are working with a familiar formula, experience can answer many design questions. With something less conventional, an experienced partner capable of challenging assumptions and identifying confusing elements becomes far more useful. The Duskbloods appears to be exactly that kind of project.

#### [](#the-duskbloods-could-signal-a-closer-relationship-between-nintendo-and-fromsoftware)The Duskbloods Could Signal a Closer Relationship Between Nintendo and FromSoftware

It would be premature to assume that every future FromSoftware release will suddenly appear on Nintendo hardware, but the company’s relationship with Nintendo is clearly becoming more substantial. Dark Souls: Remastered once looked like something of an isolated appearance on Nintendo Switch. The situation surrounding Nintendo Switch 2 is noticeably different. FromSoftware is bringing more of its work to the platform, while The Duskbloods represents a project where Nintendo has been involved from relatively early in development. Miyazaki’s comments are particularly noteworthy because he speaks positively about Nintendo as a creative partner rather than merely a hardware manufacturer or publishing partner. The company’s enthusiasm, development feedback, balancing assistance, ideas, and experience with communicating game mechanics have all apparently contributed to the relationship. Whether that eventually leads to additional collaborations remains unknown, but The Duskbloods already represents one of the most meaningful connections between FromSoftware and Nintendo in either company’s recent history.

##### [](#conclusion)Conclusion

The explanation behind The Duskbloods’ Nintendo Switch 2 exclusivity ultimately seems to be rooted in more than a simple business arrangement. Miyazaki says Nintendo responded enthusiastically when FromSoftware discussed the concept, and that reaction gave him confidence about moving forward with the partnership. Nintendo has since become involved in areas including feedback, balancing, additional ideas, and the difficult task of explaining the game’s unusual multiplayer systems to players. That last point may be particularly important. FromSoftware’s willingness to let players learn through experimentation has produced some unforgettable experiences, but an eight-player PvPvE game has different communication demands. Miyazaki believes Nintendo has strengths that can help bridge that gap. We won’t know how successfully those different design philosophies come together until The Duskbloods is released, but the partnership itself now makes considerably more sense. Nintendo didn’t simply secure a FromSoftware game. The two companies appear to be actively shaping it together.

##### [](#faqs)FAQs

- **Why is The Duskbloods exclusive to Nintendo Switch 2?**
    - Hidetaka Miyazaki explained that FromSoftware had an opportunity to discuss the concept with Nintendo, which responded enthusiastically and was receptive to the studio’s ideas. Nintendo’s approach gave Miyazaki additional confidence in moving forward with the partnership, while the company has also remained involved by providing development feedback, support, ideas, and assistance with areas such as balancing and communicating the game’s systems.
- **Is Nintendo involved in developing The Duskbloods?**
    - FromSoftware remains the developer, but Miyazaki says Nintendo has provided continuing feedback and support during development. He specifically mentioned balancing, additional ideas, the game’s complicated rules, and player onboarding. Nintendo therefore appears to have a meaningful collaborative role without replacing FromSoftware as the studio responsible for creating the game.
- **What type of game is The Duskbloods?**
    - The Duskbloods is an online multiplayer action game built around PvPvE gameplay. Up to eight players take control of supernatural characters known as the Bloodsworn of Dusk. Players can battle enemies while also competing against one another, with temporary alliances and rivalries forming as participants pursue First Blood.
- **Why does Miyazaki think Nintendo can help with tutorials?**
    - Miyazaki acknowledged that FromSoftware has historically been comfortable dropping players into its games and allowing them to discover mechanics independently. The Duskbloods contains complicated multiplayer systems that need to be communicated clearly, and Miyazaki believes Nintendo is particularly good at presenting information in ways that players can easily understand.
- **When will The Duskbloods be released?**
    - Nintendo currently lists The Duskbloods for release exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2 in 2026. A specific final release date has not been announced. Nintendo and FromSoftware have also been conducting a closed network test as development continues.

##### [](#sources)Sources

- [Creator’s Voice Blog: Hidetaka Miyazaki on The Duskbloods (Part 1)](https://www.nintendo.com/us/whatsnew/creators-voice-the-duskbloods-part-1/), Nintendo, April 4, 2025
- [The Duskbloods](https://www.nintendo.com/us/gaming-systems/switch-2/featured-games/creators-voice/the-duskbloods/), Nintendo, 2025
- [Nintendo Direct Unveils New Games and Updates for Nintendo Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch](https://www.nintendo.com/us/whatsnew/nintendo-direct-unveils-new-games-and-updates-for-nintendo-switch-2-and-nintendo-switch-including-the-legend-of-zelda-ocarina-of-time-kingdom-hearts-iv-xenoblade-genesis-and-more/), Nintendo, June 9, 2026
- [Learn How to Apply for The Duskbloods Network Test](https://www.nintendo.com/us/whatsnew/learn-how-to-apply-for-the-duskbloods-network-test/), Nintendo, July 17, 2026
- [The Duskbloods Network Test Kicks Off On Switch 2 Next Month](https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2026/07/the-duskbloods-network-test-kicks-off-on-switch-2-next-month), Nintendo Life, July 15, 2026

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