Elden Ring Director Comments on Whether He Will Direct Future Souls Games

Highlights

Elden Ring director Hidetaka Miyazaki is considering delegating directorial duties for future entries in the Dark Souls franchise.
Miyazaki highlighted the unique ideas that come from other directors taking the reins, citing the controversial Dark Souls 2 as an inspiration for later games in the series.
Miyazaki’s comments come as FromSoftware gears up for the upcoming release of Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, adding new areas, enemies, and weapons to the 2022 Game of the Year.

Renowned Elden Ring director Hidetaka Miyazaki recently spoke about the future of the Dark Souls franchise, suggesting he is open to “delegating” the directorial position to others. Since the debut of Demon’s Souls in 2009, the Souls franchise has grown into one of the most recognizable brands within gaming, defining a genre that became known as “Souls-like” games. The franchise has made developer FromSoftware into a household name, recently winning Game of the Year in 2022 for the highly-anticipated Elden Ring. Now, Miyazaki could be looking to take a step back from the franchise.

Hidetaka Miyazaki has become something of a legend within the gaming industry, serving as one of the main driving forces behind the Dark Souls franchise. Miyazaki has spent 20 years working with FromSoftware, first joining the developer in 2004 as a planner for Armored Core: Last Raven. Miyazaki would go on to serve as director for nearly the entire Dark Souls franchise, as well as similar FromSoftware games like Bloodborne and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. Now, a recent interview suggests Miyazaki is open to letting others take the directorial reins.

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Elden Ring Director Interested in Stepping Back from Supervisory Role

As reported by VideoGamesChronicle, Miyazaki recently stated in an interview that there is a “high possibility” of future Dark Souls games featuring different directors. According to Miyazaki, the director is interested in letting other directors “flourish in their environment” by stepping away from his normal supervisory role over the Dark Souls games. Miyazaki expressed the unique ideas that come from giving other developers more freedom, citing the “different impetus and ideas” that come from other directors. Miyazaki also reflected fondly on the only game in the franchise where he did not serve as director, Dark Souls 2.

While Dark Souls 2 is remembered as a controversial entry in the Dark Souls franchise, Miyazaki cited the game as a heavy inspiration for future projects. Dark Souls 2 was the first game in the franchise to feature open-world elements, an idea that would later be expanded upon in Elden Ring. The newest trailer for Elden Ring‘s upcoming Shadow of the Erdtree DLC also references Dark Souls 2, teasing the potential return of hand-to-hand weapons first introduced in the game.

Though Miyazaki may step away from future games, FromSoftware’s newest game is preparing for a major update to come. FromSoftware recently debuted the first trailer for Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, confirming the new DLC to release on June 21. The DLC is set to introduce several new areas for players to explore, packed with new enemies to battle and new weapons to acquire. Shadow of the Erdtree looks to heavily expand on 2022’s Game of the Year and add another chapter to director Hidetaka Miyazaki’s legacy.