The Duskbloods director Hidetaka Miyazaki has revealed that the creature we see at the end of the game’s reveal trailer will be the player’s main companion in the game’s hub. In an interview with Nintendo, Miyazaki compared the character’s role to that of the fire keepers in Dark Souls and the Maiden in Black from Demon’s Souls.
“That character shares a similar role with the fire keepers from the Dark Souls series. They remain in the hub area, providing the player with advice and guidance,” said Miyazaki.
As for why the creature looks like it could end up being some sort of mascot character for The Duskbloods, Miyazaki said that it was something new that FromSoftware was trying as part of its partnership with Nintendo in making the game. “I suppose you could say we tried doing something a little Nintendo-esque in the spirit of the partnership,” he said.
“We tried something cute for a change. Although I will say this character is actually an elderly gentleman.”
For more context about the role that the unnamed creature will likely play in The Duskbloods, traditionally, FromSoftware’s titles have featured a character that accompanies the players in their adventures, either by actively traveling alongside them like in Elden Ring, or taking care of the player’s main home base, like in Dark Souls 2 or Bloodborne.
This character is often the one players have to interact with in order to do various things like spending Souls, Runes, or Blood Echoes to level up their stats. The characters also often form an integral part of their games’ stories. The fire keepers from Dark Souls, for example, have been the last few creatures that have been keeping the flames from dying out.
Having a character like that be a part of the home base in The Duskbloods would indicate that the title will feature some form of meta-progression outside of matches. While FromSoftware hasn’t confirmed too many details about the game yet, the fact that it will be a match-based PvPvE title where players take on AI-based enemies as well as other players would indicate that each match would have them starting from scratch.
The Duskbloods was originally announced during Nintendo’s Switch 2 Direct last week. The game doesn’t yet have a solid release date. FromSoftware, however, has confirmed that it is aiming for a 2026 launch window. The game will feature more than 12 playable characters, and players will get to define their relationships with other players through the “roles” they pick.
Each match will feature a group of 8 players that might end up being friends or foes, as they also try to take on environmental hazards and AI enemies throughout the match. Players will also get to pick between characters depending on their unique abilities and preferred playing styles.
The studio has also stated that, while it has been working on more multiplayer-centric games recently, it is still committed to making more single-player games in the future. In the meantime, also check out reports that FromSoftware is the owner of the IP for The Duskbloods.
