Miyazaki admits the PvPvE label for The Duskbloods was probably a mistake

FromSoftware director Hidetaka Miyazaki has acknowledged that labeling The Duskbloods as a PvPvE game when it was announced for Switch 2 in late 2025 likely gave players the wrong idea about what kind of game it actually is.

Speaking to GameSpot through a translator, Miyazaki said the PvPvE tag carries extraction-shooter baggage that doesn't fit The Duskbloods at all. "The PvPvE [label is] a little bit confusing in the context of this game. It's not that we set out with that exact label when pitching to Nintendo," he said. The game's design instead revolves around the Sigil and Event system, the Virtue system, and player relationships — mechanics built to create what Miyazaki calls "constant drama and excitement between players." Winning doesn't require beating other players directly; there are other paths to victory. Enemies draw from FromSoftware's previous titles and were folded in because they fit the studio's design methodology. "Saying it was a PvPvE game makes it sound like that's all that there is, and saying it's a PvE game doesn't really do it justice either," Miyazaki added. "When we originally announced the game as a PvPvE title, there was probably a lot of confusion thinking it was like an extraction [game] ... We definitely look back at that now and think, 'Hmm, maybe that wasn't the best way to refer to it.'"

The Duskbloods is FromSoftware's second consecutive game built around focused online multiplayer. Elden Ring Nightreign launched last year, blending the souls-like formula with roguelike structure and co-op survival against encroaching darkness. The Duskbloods sounds like a different beast — reportedly inspired by George R.R. Martin and Vampire: The Masquerade, it's a Switch 2 exclusive with a design philosophy that resists easy genre labels.

With the game still on the way to Switch 2, Miyazaki's candid admission at least sets clearer expectations: this isn't an extraction shooter, and it isn't a straight PvP brawler. What exactly it is, players will have to find out when it launches.