FromSoftware's The Duskbloods is a multiplayer Switch 2 exclusive

If you predicted that FromSoftware was working on a brand-new IP that would be exclusive to the Nintendo Switch 2 console, you must have had some kind of secret vision, because this was the most unexpected announcement during today’s Direct. And that’s including Hollow Knight: Silksong making a brief appearance. FromSoftware revealed The Duskbloods, which appears to be a game in the studio’s classic dark fantasy style, featuring a vampire protagonist.

FromSoftware announces The Duskbloods, a multiplayer Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive

Before today, the idea that a FromSoftware game of any kind felt like a dream. But now, not only did the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct share that a version of Elden Ring would be available on the new console, but there will be an exclusive new game from the beloved studio as well. The short trailer was one of the last reveals in the hour-long presentation.

The trailer begins with an ominous monologue. A woman grasps the limp hand of a man in a chair, leaving a strange mark. At first, it was easy to mistake this trailer initially for Castlevania or something like Resident Evil. But after the opening scene, a sudden reveal of the FromSoftware name changed everything. The Duskbloods looks like it will combine FromSoftware’s dark fantasy aesthetic with a steam punk style as well. A train passes by at one point and at least one of the characters appears to have some kind of firearm.

The trailer only lasts about three and a half minutes, so there’s only so much we know. Thankfully, at the end, it was revealed that on April 4th we will learn more via a Creator’s Voice article on the official Nintendo website. This information will come from director of The Duskbloods, Hidetaka Miyazaki, the famous director of many of FromSoftware’s best hits, including Bloodborne, Elden Ring, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.

But there was some significant information available on FromSoftware’s website. The site reads: “[The Duskbloods] is a PvPvE-based multiplayer action game in which up to eight players fight each other and players and enemies.” This is much closer to the recent Elden Ring: Nightreign than most other FromSoftware projects. The site also continues: “The player becomes a ‘blood family of the twilight’ who has gained power beyond humans by the power of special blood, and throws himself into a fierce battle over ‘the blood of the beginning…’” Please keep in mind this is translated from Japanese.

While this is not a Bloodborne remake or sequel that fans have been hoping for recently, it does have “blood” in the title. One of the characters appears to have vampiric tendencies. A moment in the trailer shows this character biting an enemy’s neck. This could be how the character was revived in the trailer’s opening scene. There may also be several playable characters in this game, perhaps a family of characters known by the name in the title. One character appears to be a vampire, another a young woman with magical powers, and another wearing a ridiculous suit of armor and flying across the world.

Ultimately, we will have to wait to learn more about The Duskbloods, but if this isn’t Nintendo flexing their powers with this new console, I don’t know what is. The Duskbloods won’t launch until 2026, but fans won’t have to wait that long for the Nintendo Switch 2, which will be arriving on June 5th.

The Duskbloods

2026

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