FromSoftware shares first details on The Duskbloods

FromSoftware has come forward with the first details about The Duskbloods, its new Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive announced this week. Aside from learning more about its development history including how it started out as a game planned for Switch 1, we get concrete gameplay details here. All of the important comes from a new interview with director Hidetaka Miyazaki.

Below is the full roundup:

– FromSoftware met with Nintendo “to discuss ideas”, and presented a rough outline for the game, which had a very different concept for the company
– Nintendo was interested in helping make it a reality
– Was initially being worked on as a small team for Nintendo Switch, but as it started taking shape, FromSoftware was approached about Switch 2
– Online multiplayer focused game
– Characters are known as Bloodsworn
– These are members who have achieved super-human abilities through the power of special blood
– They’re like vampires, but “are not portrayed as the horrifying monsters you might associate with traditional vampirism”
– Bloodsworn are competing for First Blood
– As human society reaches an end, First Blood flows in an event known as the “Twilight of Humanity”
– The Bloodsworn are summoned to the Twilight of Humanity across a variety of different times and places in a bid to obtain First Blood
– No fixed era/location in which the game takes place
– The game has more traditional Gothic- or Victorian-style maps plus those depicting the closing years of the early modern period, like the one glimpsed in the trailer with the train
– Duskbloods is a collective term for the characters the player controls
– Bloodsworn have actions that are more dramatic than other FromSoftware games
– Basic character actions in this game such as sprinting, super jump, and double jump are designed to be dynamic and stress free
– Every character is equipped with some means of attacking from a distance
– Over a dozen playable characters
– Each has its own identity and appearance
– Characters can be customized to a certain extent
– In the hub area, players choose a character, customize them, and enter online multiplayer
– Up to 8 players supported
– After a match, you go back to the hub and receive a reward even if you lose
– Use these rewards to further customize the character
– Online matches are generally last standing
– Certain cases where victory conditions differ such as teaming up to take down a boss
– Victory Points decide the outcome of the match
– Get points in different ways; direct combat is important, but some may prefer to earn points by avoiding combat and engage in more opportunistic behavior
– Each character can summon an entity for combat
– Event system can alter a match such as special enemy spawns and more objectives with bonus rewards
– One example of an event was shown in the trailer with the giant stone face
– These events don’t always happen
– Lore fragments are found in the character customization items
– Customizing a character will reveal a piece of information regarding the world and its unfolding story
– There are roles that give players special responsibilities and objectives that often lead to unique interactions and relationships between players
– Ex: if a player possesses the “Destined Rivals” role, another player is designated as their rival, and they are tasked with finding and defeating that player
– Another example: “Destined Companion,” where one player is required to seek out another designated as their companion, which results in a special reward if they form a bond with one another
Assign roles to any character via blood customization
– Rat character shares a role similar to that of the fire keepers in Dark Souls and remain the hub area by providing advice and guidance

The Duskbloods is heading to Nintendo Switch 2 in 2026 and we have the first trailer here. You can also read the full interview here.