Much digital ink has been spilled regarding Hidetaka Miyazaki’s anticipated return to the Souls series with Dark Souls III, and particularly how his time overseeing PS4 exclusive Bloodborne will have an impact on development of the threequel. From the footage released during Gamescom last week, it’s evident there has been a degree of cross-pollination within the From Software creative teams, with the Dark Souls III monster hunter proving to be a much more agile and responsive avatar.
Behind the pixels, Miyazaki is confident that he and his diligent team are capable of handling both the maiden expansions for Bloodborne and Dark Souls III simultaneously. Speaking to GameSpot, the creative director noted that his multi-purpose role at From Software spans generations, and how he’s no stranger to juggling more than one project at any given time.
“The bottom line is, I think I can do it. I believe I can do both the Bloodborne DLC and Dark Souls 3,” he said. “This isn’t the first time I’ve had to work on two projects at the same time. When I was doing Demon’s Souls, I was also working on Armoured Core: For Answer. Even for the original Dark Souls, I acted as producer and director.”
Leveraging development and resources between Bloodborne and Dark Souls III is a reality that Miyazaki and Co. have to face head on, particularly when you consider that the former RPG has all but secured its status as PlayStation’s newfound franchise.
“In the case of Bloodborne, although I was the lead game director, there was another director level person that also contributed,” he explained. “This is the same for Dark Souls 3. Actually, [Yui] Tanimura-san, the director of Dark Souls 2, has already joined the [Dark Souls 3] team, which will allow me to work on core gameplay design while other things are taken care of.”
From Software is understood to be working on Bloodborne‘s maiden expansion for a release on PlayStation 4 in late 2015 or early 2016. Dark Souls III, meanwhile, has been slated for a release across PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC in spring 2016.