Game Director's Vision for Elden Ring Traced Back to Dark Souls 3; Scale of Elden Ring Solidifies Idea inHis Mind
Elden Ring spinoff Nightreign, a condensed RPG game, was developed with rapidity due to its reliance on previously used assets. However, the vision for the game has been brewing in the mind of director Junya Ishizaki for years.
In an interview, Ishizaki, who has been a combat and level designer at FromSoftware since Dark Souls' inception, revealed that the seeds of the game had been sown even amidst the development of Dark Souls 3, which was released globally in April 2016, marking a decade of marinating ideas.
"This image of the game I wanted to create was very vague to me at the time," Ishizaki explained via an interpreter. "I believe that the ideas and concepts were quite fragmented even around the time of Dark Souls 3's development."
It wasn't until Elden Ring was fully in production that these ideas coalesced and took shape in Ishizaki's mind, he added, citing Elden Ring's world scale, variety of enemies, weapons, and player builds as the perfect foundation for his vision.
Ishizaki admitted that Hidetaka Miyazaki, president of FromSoftware and the director of Elden Ring, pushed him to take on the director's role, but he initially had no intention of assuming that position.
"At the time, I didn't really expect that I might be the director," Ishizaki said. "I simply thought it could be something interesting for us to pursue."
Post his debut as director, Ishizaki expressed enthusiasm about leading another game, preferably one that isn't tied to an existing world or IP.
"I'd love to try directing another title in the future," he said. "For Nightreign, Elden Ring was a significant influence on this project. So, in the future, I'd like to explore a different approach."
Ishizaki, a champion of multiplayer, revealed he is considering games with structures akin to Nightreign and different from FromSoft's traditional RPG philosophy, but his future directorial role remains uncertain.
"I do ponder over this question, and I'm the sort who allows the game to dictate its own structure as I develop it," Ishizaki said. "I'm not sure when or what my next directorial role will be, but it'll likely be quite distinct."
In relation to Nightreign's impending launch, FromSoftware is reportedly preparing servers and working to enhance its multiplayer aspect, aiming to ensure players can continue playing even in the worst-case scenarios.
- The director of Nightreign, Junya Ishizaki, shared that the ideas for the game emerged during the development of Dark Souls 3.
- Ishizaki admitted that Elden Ring's vast world, diverse enemies, weapons, and player builds provided the ideal foundation for his vision.
- Speaking about future projects, Ishizaki expressed a desire to direct a game that isn't tied to an existing world or IP.
- Nightreign's multiplayer structure is something Ishizaki is considering for future projects, deviating from FromSoftware's traditional RPG philosophy.
- FromSoftware is reportedly preparing servers and working on enhancing the multiplayer aspect of Nightreign to ensure smooth gameplay in all scenarios.
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