In most studios, the president doesn’t get directly involved in the game-making process. Hidetaka Miyazaki, the president of FromSoftware and director of Elden Ring, appears to be an exception to that rule.
In a recent interview with The Guardian, he said that he spent as much as 95% of his time directing because he is not built for corporate life. Miyazaki was promoted to the president of FromSoftware after the breakout success of his Souls series.
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“I enjoy helping grow and nurture the younger directors whom I see guiding the company in the next stage. But sitting in a management office all day isn’t my style,” he told The Guardian. “I really get my hands dirty and continue to make games together, through which I hope I can communicate my process to a different generation of talent.”
“I have had the title of president for almost 10 years now, but I would say about 95% of what I do at the company and how I spend my time is directed towards making games and directing games. Using that ratio, you could say I only actually have about six months’ experience as an executive!”
After directing Demon Souls which gave rise to the Souls series, Miyazaki was shot into the spotlight. Although the game had a slow and quiet start, its popularity grew over many years and a decade later it is now referred to as a cult hit and will get a remake for the current-gen console.
FromSoftware president doesn’t believe lowering Elden Ring difficulty will make it more accessible
In the same interview with The Guardian Miyazaki disagreed with those who think that toning down Elden Ring’s difficulty will make it more accessible. The interview coincided with the launch of the much-anticipated expansion of the Game of the Year winner titled Shadow of the Erdtree.
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“If we really wanted the whole world to play the game, we could just crank the difficulty down more and more. But that wasn’t the right approach,” Miyazaki said.
“Had we taken that approach, I don’t think the game would have done what it did, because the sense of achievement that players gain from overcoming these hurdles is such a fundamental part of the experience. Turning down difficulty would strip the game of that joy – which, in my eyes, would break the game itself.”
FromSoftware games have become known for their not-for-the-fainthearted difficulty. However, Miyazaki usually provides a way to manage the challenges in the games he directs. For example, in Elden Ring, players can gather resources and upgrade their character to become stronger.
Also, Elden Ring has resources that allow players to create a clone of themselves (and the clones deal real damage to enemies) to make battles more manageable. In other FromSoftware titles, there is also the ability to summon other real players to help you through the journey.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree launched on Friday, June 21, 2024. The expansion is almost as large as a sequel and is believed to be the only expansion that the game will get.
