What is The Duskbloods, the Next Soulsborne Game From Bloodborne, Elden Ring Devs?

FromSoftware became incredibly popular throughout the 2010s, and that success has continued into the 2020s with hit games like Elden Ring, Armored Core 6, and Elden Ring Nightreign. They’re also about to release The Duskbloods, which is a bit different for the studio. People unfamiliar with FromSoftware or this type of game might not have heard much about it yet.

Announced in April 2025 at a Nintendo event, The Duskbloods will be a game only available on the next-generation Switch 2. This is a big deal because FromSoftware, the studio behind the game, has historically only made exclusive titles for Sony PlayStation, and only a couple of times at that. The game also strongly resembles Bloodborne, a popular FromSoftware title from 2015, sharing its distinctive dark, steampunk-inspired look and atmosphere. As more details emerge, this upcoming cooperative multiplayer game, built in the challenging “soulslike” style, is generating a lot of excitement.

What Is The Duskbloods?

Similar to Elden Ring Nightreign, The Duskbloods is a cooperative game built around the challenging combat style popular in soulslike games. However, The Duskbloods differs from Nightreign by being a PvPvE action-RPG for up to eight players. Players will compete against each other and monsters in a variety of environments. The game will include over a dozen playable characters, each with distinct abilities, stats, moves, and backstories. These characters, known as Bloodsworn, are vampire-like beings fighting both monstrous creatures and each other as humanity faces its end.

The Duskbloods’ Story and Setting

Like many games from FromSoftware, the story of The Duskbloods is initially very mysterious. It will probably take weeks after the game comes out – and a lot of dedicated fans digging into the details – before we fully understand its complex world. However, we can already piece together some parts of the story based on what’s been revealed so far.

Where and When Does The Duskbloods Take Place?

A key similarity between The Duskbloods and Bloodborne lies in their shared visual style and setting. The Duskbloods clearly draws inspiration from the Gothic and Victorian eras, much like the 2015 game. Characters wear clothing from the 19th century, the buildings are grand and detailed, and the equipment—including weapons—reflects that same historical period.

Similar to Bloodborne, The Duskbloods draws heavily from gothic horror and steampunk aesthetics, perhaps even more noticeably. While Bloodborne hinted at cosmic mysteries, The Duskbloods appears to focus more on monstrous creatures and raw magical forces, though it’s still early to say for sure. The steampunk influence is much more prominent, as the trailer showcases a working train system and a character wearing a metal suit reminiscent of the Rocketeer. Like other games from FromSoftware, The Duskbloods will likely be a standalone experience, unconnected to the real world or any of the developer’s other franchises.

What We Know About The Duskbloods’ Story

The Duskbloods is set in a dying world, during a time called The Twilight of Humanity. Players, known as Bloodsworn, must search for a mysterious substance called First Blood. Like other games from FromSoftware, the exact purpose of First Blood isn’t clearly explained – it’s similar to items like Paleblood or the Elden Ring. However, it’s likely that First Blood holds the key to saving humanity, either by stopping the Twilight, preventing it from worsening, or finding some other solution.

As a huge fan, I’m really excited about The Duskbloods and the idea that the Bloodsworn are going on these epic quests to different places and times for each session. At first, all the trailers and previews looked very Victorian, with a touch of early railway tech, but now I’m starting to think the game’s world might be way bigger than that! If these characters can actually travel through time, imagine all the different environments, enemies, and stories they could explore. The initial trailer was cool and Gothic, but I’m hoping for a lot more variety than that!

The name ‘Duskbloods’ connects directly to the Bloodsworn – Hidetaka Miyazaki has explained that the two terms are often used to mean the same thing.

Is The Duskbloods a Bloodborne Sequel?

There’s been a lot of talk about whether The Duskbloods is connected to the game Bloodborne, given their similar look and storytelling. However, even without considering what the developers have said, a direct link is pretty improbable. This is mainly because Sony owns Bloodborne, and The Duskbloods is a game only available on the Switch 2. So, a clear connection between the two, one way or another, just doesn’t seem likely.

The Duskbloods’ Gameplay

So, FromSoftware is really pushing the multiplayer aspect of The Duskbloods – they’re saying it’ll be just as big a deal as it was in Elden Ring Nightreign. From what I’ve gathered, the main way the game will play out looks something like this:

Embark on PvPvE matches with other players
Earn Victory Points upon completion
Return to the hub area, where character customization takes place, using Victory Points as currency
Repeat the PvPvE cycle

Miyazaki explains that players will choose a role for their character at the start of each match, and this role defines how they win. These goals can be anything from eliminating another player to actually helping a specific player and building a relationship with them. Successfully completing your assigned role earns you special rewards.

The Duskbloods’ Release Date

Currently, Duskbloods is expected to be released in 2026, but neither FromSoftware nor Nintendo have announced an exact date. With the first year of support for Elden Ring Nightreign wrapping up, the developers might soon be able to focus more attention on promoting Duskbloods.

Rumors suggest FromSoftware has been working on The Duskbloods for an exceptionally long time – even longer than it took to create Elden Ring. Apparently, it’s a much bigger and more complex game than they’ve indicated. Hopefully, FromSoftware will share more details soon so we can get a better idea of how groundbreaking it might be.

2025-12-04 19:05