Things are simmering behind the scenes of the “Dark Souls” makers, not directly at FromSoftware, but in the executive suite of the parent company Kadokawa. But now mastermind Hidetaka Miyazaki spoke out in a statement to reassure worried fans – and at the same time provided an exciting outlook.
Above all through the „Dark Soul“series, the Japanese development studio FromSoftware single-handedly defined an entire genre „Elden Ring“ With over 30 million units sold, it is an absolute milestone in the recent past.
But the enormous success also has a downside – and it lures the proverbial sharks ashore. We had already reported at the end of March that the activist hedge fund Oasis Management from Hong Kong sold its shares in the FromSoftware parent company Kadokawa secretly increased to around 14 percent hat.
As a result, Oasis even replaced Sony as the largest individual shareholder. The problem: Hong Kong investors are primarily interested in maximizing profits and accuse the current management of wasting FromSoftware’s financial potential.
Since the official motion to fire the current Kadokawa CEO Takeshi Natsuno has already been submitted for the upcoming annual general meeting on June 24, 2026, fans are now really worried about the future of FromSoftware. Reason enough for studio boss Hidetaka Miyazaki to speak out personally now.
“Make games we want”: Creative freedom is the top priority
The fact that the otherwise press-shy FromSoftware mastermind is speaking out at all shows how serious the situation appears to be. But in a statement to the Japanese magazine Denfaminico Gamer Miyazaki now tried to calm the angry tempers.
The “Dark Souls” creator made it clear that he was following the reports but could not interfere in company politics. However, he found clear words for the current situation and emphasized how important creative freedom is for the studio’s success.
“First of all, I’m generally happy with the current development environment that FromSoftware is in. I’m not saying there’s no room for improvement, but we’re free to make the games we want without undue interference,” Miyazaki explained.
At the same time, he emphasized that the unique character of FromSoftware games only exists because the developers are left alone – a subtle but unmistakable warning to new investors.
The FromSoft boss continued: “I think the most important thing for both myself and FromSoftware going forward is to maintain this environment and be able to focus purely on game development as much as possible. If we’ve been able to create things that are valuable to players, then this environment has certainly been one of the main sources of that.”
A promise to the fans – and the teaser for the unannounced
Miyazaki also emphasized that FromSoftware wants to stay on course in the future. And this despite the fact that the gaming industry worldwide is being rocked by layoffs, studio closures and skyrocketing development costs, meaning that many developers are just playing it safe with their projects.
At the end of his statement, the studio boss addressed the community directly with a promise of quality and, on top of that, a tangible teaser.
“We will continue to strive harder than ever to create valuable games. Please look forward to our upcoming projects – both the previously announced and the unannounced titles that follow,” said Miyazaki.
Of course, the head of FromSoftware is still keeping to himself what the aforementioned “unannounced titles” might be. All that is currently known is that the Switch 2 is exclusive „The Duskbloods“ works and therefore more experimental multiplayer ways in the style of “Elden Ring: Nightreign” hits.
Rumor has it that under the Code name “FMC” but also working on another big single-player title that probably has nothing to do with a possible “Elden Ring 2”. It will be exciting to see what FromSoftware has in store for the future. One thing is certain: As long as Miyazaki is at the helm, the studio won’t be able to change its shape so quickly.
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