Hidetaka Miyazaki Explains Why FromSoftware’s The Duskbloods Is Switch 2 Exclusive

FromSoftware director Hidetaka Miyazaki has finally addressed one of the biggest questions hanging over this year’s Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive The Duskbloods: why a FromSoftware-style release would land on Nintendo hardware exclusively. In an interview, Miyazaki pointed less to business strategy and more to the practical challenge of explaining how the game works to players.

Quick facts

• The Duskbloods is an exclusive release for Nintendo Switch 2 this year.
• Miyazaki said FromSoftware chose Nintendo because the team could discuss the game directly and Nintendo seemed excited and ready to execute.
• He argued Nintendo is the right partner to communicate the game’s information so players understand it.
• Miyazaki described the game’s systems and rules as especially unique, requiring continuous feedback, support, and new ideas.
• Recent test information suggests the endgame could become “pure chaos,” with player-versus-player action alongside CPU-controlled monsters.
• The chaos is expected to come with heavy visual and combat effects—flames, explosions, bullets, and other harmful hazards.

Why Nintendo became the partner for The Duskbloods

Miyazaki said the studio’s reason for teaming up with Nintendo was rooted in collaboration itself. He explained that FromSoftware had the chance to discuss the game with Nintendo, and that Nintendo appeared “excited” and “receptive” to the concept, with a clear sense of how to carry the work forward.

He then pivoted to a long-standing issue: FromSoftware has historically not been great at teaching players how its games function. Miyazaki described the usual pattern as releasing the game and expecting players to figure it out themselves—then implied that The Duskbloods required a different approach.

In his view, Nintendo is well-suited to deliver the information in a way that players can actually understand. That point is central to his explanation for why Nintendo fits, even if it doesn’t fully clarify why the arrangement had to be exclusive to Switch 2.

Elden Ring as the example of “no explanations”

Miyazaki’s comments also echo how players experienced the studio’s biggest recent hit. He referenced the launch of Elden Ring as an example of how ambitious FromSoftware projects can arrive without anyone spelling out the rules—just placing players into a hostile world and letting adaptation do the rest.

But he made it clear that The Duskbloods is not aiming for that same “nobody explains anything” experience. The implication is that Nintendo’s involvement is intended to prevent players from being left entirely to guess how the game is meant to be understood and played.

Complex systems, constant feedback, and a chaotic endgame

Beyond communication, Miyazaki also emphasized that the game’s underlying systems are different and complicated. He said the systems and general rules are “very unique,” and that FromSoftware needed someone who could provide consistent feedback, support, and ideas throughout development.

That statement aligns with what has emerged from play tests in recent weeks. Those tests indicate that at least the final phase of matches could devolve into intense, player-driven chaos rather than a controlled duel.

Players are expected to face off against one another while also fighting CPU-controlled monsters, all amid large-scale hazards and combat effects. The reported mix includes flames, explosions, bullets, and other damaging visual phenomena that affect anyone caught in the wrong place.

What still doesn’t add up: why exclusivity specifically

Miyazaki’s reasoning supports why Nintendo could help with feedback and clarity, and why the studio believes Nintendo can “transmit” the game’s controlled chaos effectively. However, the interview doesn’t fully resolve why this kind of partnership had to translate directly into a Switch 2 exclusivity.

He does not address why other platforms—such as PlayStation or Xbox—couldn’t have offered a similar role. At the same time, Miyazaki’s explanation makes it clear that FromSoftware sees Nintendo as the right ally to help convey complex systems that may be harder to grasp without assistance.

In short, the director’s message is that Nintendo understood the project quickly and can help communicate systems that look especially involved. The “why exclusive” part may simply be an element of the deal that remains unspoken—or still undisclosed.