FromSoftware is arguably one of the most influential developers in modern video games. Although it wasn’t their first game, the PS3 action game Demon’s Souls began the “soulslike” design as we know it today and has been iterated on by tons of developers since its release in 2009. However, Sony did not project the genre to be the next big thing, which caused a bit of a strain in its relationship with the now beloved developer.
Former PlayStation exec Shuhei Yoshida claims Demon’s Souls 2 was in the works
Initially, Demon’s Souls was to be published globally by Sony, however, due to negative playtests and its grueling difficulty, the company decided not to localize the game for the West. Atlus and Bandai Namco would publish the game in the United States and Europe, respectively. It turns out Sony’s projections were wrong, and Demon’s Souls did well in the west.
Former Sony Interactive Entertainment president Shuhei Yoshida recently spoke with the Sacred Symbols podcast about their experience with FromSoftware (reported by VGC). The company approached the developer to make Demon’s Souls 2, but they denied the request. Instead, they made Dark Souls.
“FromSoftware was already working on the sequel, but they were so disappointed with how PlayStation treated them, we wanted to work with them again but they passed on it,” Yoshida claimed.
It seems the relationship between FromSoftware and Sony wasn’t quite over. The two would eventually partner for arguably the developer’s most beloved game, Bloodborne.
“We have huge respect for Miyazaki and we were able to work with them again,” said Yoshida. “Bloodborne is one of his best games.”
However, that partnership was brief. Beyond its adventure game Déraciné for PS4, the developer has gone multiplatform. All of its hits that proceeded Bloodborne, including Dark Souls 3, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, and Elden Ring, are available on multiple platforms. This was probably a good call from FromSoftware as Elden Ring sold incredibly well when it launched in 2022.