Rumor: FromSoftware Is Working On A New IP, Miyazaki Wants To “Tell Stories”

A new rumor has emerged that FromSoftware is working on a completely new IP after Elden Ring.

Update:

In response to the article, Ziostorm stated that the comments were simply speculation. They have noted to not be an insider and have no knowledge of what the future holds for Miyazaki.

I am not an insider, have never claimed to be, and if I did have inside knowledge I definitely wouldn’t tell anybody. All I do is report on things and discuss possibilities. Please don’t think it goes beyond that.

— Ziostorm (@Ziostorm1) December 18, 2023

Original Story…

Redditor Shot_Material3643 shared a screenshot from a Discord conversation, revealing the real source of this rumor is ZioStorm. Based on his information, they are going to finish Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, and then move on to that new game.

In ZioStorm’s own words, “Miyazaki wants to tell stories.”

This breaks with some fan expectations that the company will be going back into their older IPs, either Dark Souls, Demon’s Souls, or Bloodborne.

Now, it has to be said, that in the past few years, the company has indicated a weariness and interest in making games other than the Soulsborne games they are now best known for. Their most recent game is not a similar title, but instead Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon. FromSoftware was adamant that Armored Core was not going to get turned into a Soulsborne itself, and that promise turned out to be true.

 Other than that, they had made adventure game Deracine for PSVR, a release that likely went unnoticed because of its niche platform. They also rereleased Metal Wolf Chaos as a  multiplatform game, but perhaps most interestingly, in 2015, they worked on a casual Monster Hunter game on the 3DS. This was the same year they released Bloodborne, as well as Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin.

Based on the language of ZioStorm’s rumor, they aren’t eager to make more games for their established titles, but they may not necessarily be moving away from Soulsborne as a genre. Regardless if FromSoftware would be smart to stick to their best known genre, this seems to be entirely up to Miyazaki.

If Miyazaki’s motivation to move on is to tell stories, however, that may point to a tone change for their next game. Maybe this is partly George R.R. Martin’s influence, because Miyazaki saw what FromSoftware could do if they didn’t neglect narrative storytelling.

So maybe the next FromSoftware could be Miyazaki trying to pull off his own George R.R. Martin. Or maybe he is looking at a more dramatic theme shift, and maybe moving from the fantasy genre to science fiction, or horror.

Whatever he does, Elden Ring isn’t that different in gamefeel to the Soulsborne games that FromSoftware makes, so it doesn’t seem likely that their next game will feel that much different.