One of the most unexpected — and intriguing — announcements during Nintendo’s recent Switch 2 Direct came from none other than FromSoftware, the studio behind Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Elden Ring. Their newest project, The Duskbloods, is not just a spiritual successor to their dark fantasy lineage, but a bold pivot into new territory. With an exclusive 2026 release window for the Nintendo Switch 2, the studio is trading sprawling single-player epics for high-stakes online battles in a gothic nightmare reimagined for the PvPvE genre.
Game director Hidetaka Miyazaki recently peeled back the curtain in an interview with Nintendo, shedding light on what players can expect from this ambitious new title — and the word “ambitious” might be underselling it.
“At its core, it’s an online multiplayer-focused game,” Miyazaki explained. “PvPvE offers us room to explore intense player-versus-player moments alongside our signature challenging AI enemies. It’s a structure that allows for both chaos and creativity.”
In The Duskbloods, players take on the role of “Bloodsworn” — superhuman warriors empowered by a mysterious and potent blood. While echoes of vampirism are undeniable, Miyazaki is quick to clarify that these aren’t your traditional undead.
“They’re not monsters lurking in the dark,” he said. “We wanted to focus on the romanticism of blood and transformation — the beauty and tragedy that can come from power.”
Set during an event called the Twilight of Humanity, the game unfolds across shifting times and settings, rejecting a fixed era in favor of variety and thematic richness. One match may transport players to a fog-drenched Victorian cityscape, while another unfolds amidst the ruins of a collapsing early modern society, complete with speeding trains and shattered architecture.
This narrative fluidity feeds directly into gameplay variety. Each match drops up to eight players into these stylistic arenas, where the ultimate goal might be survival, or taking down an overwhelmingly powerful boss in uneasy alliances. Players return to a shared hub between matches to customize their Bloodsworn, tweak gear, and collect rewards. Deep customization and the fragmentary storytelling that FromSoftware is known for promise a rich backdrop behind every encounter.
But it’s not just the setting or structure that pushes The Duskbloods into new territory — it’s how the game plays. “We wanted combat to feel free-form and dynamic,” Miyazaki noted. “There’s room for superhuman action and for dramatic, player-driven moments that evolve match by match.”
While this marks a significant departure from the solo dungeon crawling of Demon’s Souls or Sekiro, it remains undeniably FromSoft in tone — dense lore to uncover, rich aesthetic detail, and an atmosphere drenched in mystery and decay. Think Bloodborne, if it collided with Hunt: Showdown and a splash of Battle Royale tension.
It’s also a notable risk for the developer. FromSoftware could easily deliver another traditional action-RPG and dominate critical charts once again. But with The Duskbloods, they’re forging a new path, aiming to create something fresh, communal, and replayable.
Whether The Duskbloods can capture lightning in a bottle the way Elden Ring did remains to be seen, but it’s already clear that Miyazaki and his team are crafting something that’s meant to be more than just another multiplayer game. It’s a new blood-soaked chapter for one of gaming’s most storied studios — and for Switch 2, a potential killer app that might define a generation.
The Duskbloods is slated for a 2026 release, exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2. And if the trailer’s haunting imagery and ominous score are any indication, players should prepare to bleed — and fight — for every moment they survive.