How Hidetaka Miyazaki’s humility shaped the Soulslike genre and what it means for future gaming innovation
The Accidental Genre Creator
In a revealing conversation with Rolling Stone, Elden Ring director and FromSoftware president Hidetaka Miyazaki shared his nuanced perspective on creating what players now universally recognize as the Soulslike genre. Rather than embracing the mantle of visionary inventor, Miyazaki presents himself as a fortunate architect who happened to build the right structure at the perfect historical moment.
Miyazaki’s humility stands out in an industry often dominated by charismatic figureheads claiming revolutionary breakthroughs. He explicitly refuses to accept full credit for birthing a new gaming category, insisting that the fundamental mechanics—challenging combat, intricate level design, and punishing death systems—predated Demon’s Souls’ 2009 release. This acknowledgment reveals a designer deeply respectful of gaming history and his predecessors’ work.
The term “Soulslike” itself functions as both tribute and shorthand, directly referencing FromSoftware’s Demon’s Souls and Dark Souls series that established the genre template. Miyazaki recognizes this terminology as an honor while simultaneously feeling its weight. “We just happened to release [Demon’s Souls] into the market at the right time,” he remarked, attributing significant portions of the genre’s success to fortunate timing rather than purely innovative genius.
This perspective offers valuable insight for aspiring game developers: sometimes execution and timing matter more than absolute originality. The gaming landscape of the late 2000s created perfect conditions for Demon’s Souls’ particular brand of challenging, atmospheric gameplay to resonate with players seeking more substantial experiences beyond mainstream offerings.
Defining the Soulslike Formula
Since Demon’s Souls established the blueprint, the Soulslike genre has become synonymous with specific design principles that distinguish it from other action RPGs. These include deliberate combat requiring precision timing, interconnected world design that rewards exploration, and boss encounters that demand pattern recognition and adaptive strategies.
The signature difficulty curve represents perhaps the most defining—and debated—characteristic. Players expect repeated failures against challenging enemies, with each death serving as a learning opportunity rather than punishment. This design philosophy creates what veteran players call the “Soulslike dopamine loop”: struggle, learn, overcome, and experience unparalleled satisfaction.
Practical Tip: When approaching any Soulslike game, reframe deaths as data collection rather than failure. Each attempt reveals enemy patterns, attack telegraphs, and environmental opportunities. Successful players maintain notebooks or mental logs of boss behaviors, transforming frustration into systematic problem-solving.
Common Mistake: Many newcomers become overly aggressive after learning an enemy’s pattern, forgetting that Soulslike bosses often include phase transitions with completely new attack combinations. The most effective strategy involves maintaining defensive awareness even during offensive opportunities.
Industry Impact and Inspiration
FromSoftware’s influence now extends far beyond its own development studios, with numerous creators building upon the established Soulslike foundation. Titles like Lies of P and the Nioh series demonstrate how the formula can successfully adapt to different settings and combat systems while retaining core genre DNA.
Miyazaki maintains an academic interest in these developments, playing competing Soulslikes primarily as research exercises rather than pure entertainment. “It’s very stimulating for me to be able to see it from many different angles, because we’re all working within the same sandbox, in a way,” he explained. This approach allows him to analyze how other designers interpret and expand upon the genre framework his studio helped establish.
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Optimization Tip: Advanced Soulslike players should study both FromSoftware titles and their inspired counterparts to identify transferable skills. Defensive positioning that works in Dark Souls often proves effective in Lies of P, while Nioh’s stance system mastery can improve adaptability across all genre entries. Cross-training between different developers’ interpretations builds comprehensive genre proficiency.
The Future of FromSoftware
With Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree expansion breaking records and testing players’ limits, attention naturally turns to FromSoftware’s next direction. Miyazaki has expressed interest in experimenting beyond the Soulslike template, potentially including a traditional JRPG among future projects.
This experimental inclination suggests that while the studio will likely continue refining its signature style, it won’t become trapped by its own success. The same innovative spirit that created the Soulslike genre may now seek to transcend or reinvent it, offering players new experiences that build upon rather than replicate past achievements.
For current genre enthusiasts, Shadow of the Erdtree represents both culmination and challenge, pushing Soulslike difficulty to new heights while expanding Elden Ring’s narrative universe. Its record-breaking success demonstrates sustained appetite for meticulously crafted, demanding gameplay experiences.
Practical Insights for Gamers
Understanding Miyazaki’s design philosophy provides more than historical context—it offers practical advantages for navigating challenging games. His emphasis on fair difficulty, environmental storytelling, and player agency translates into actionable approaches for both newcomers and veterans.
Strategic Approach: Instead of viewing Soulslike games as tests of reflexes alone, approach them as puzzle boxes with combat solutions. Each enemy presents a specific problem requiring observation, hypothesis testing, and adaptive execution. This mindset transforms frustration into engaging problem-solving.
Resource Management: Unlike many RPGs where resources feel abundant, Soulslike titles demand careful allocation of healing items, stamina, and positional advantage. Successful players maintain constant awareness of their reserves, retreating to regroup rather than pushing exhausted into unknown encounters.
Community Learning: The Soulslike experience extends beyond solo play, with player messages, bloodstains, and cooperative summoning creating shared knowledge ecosystems. Engaging with these community features accelerates learning curves and reveals hidden solutions.
No reproduction without permission：SeeYouSoon Game Club » Elden Ring director calls Soulslike label “humbling” but won’t take full credit for genre How Hidetaka Miyazaki's humility shaped the Soulslike genre and what it means for future gaming innovation