FromSoftware has made some of the best games you’ll ever play since it first released Demon’s Souls in 2009, and though nearly all of its major releases in the time since then has been universally beloved, if there’s one thing that the studio hasn’t ever focused on too much, it’s the technical aspects of its games. Visually, the likes of Dark Souls 3 and Bloodborne, for instance, are no slouches, but graphics are always low on FromSoftware’s list of priorities.
A little over a year ago, Bluepoint Games remade the aforementioned Demon’s Souls exclusively for the PS5, and it looked absolutely gorgeous, to the point where it might very well be one of the best-looking games around right now. Given that, does FromSoftware feel a bit of extra pressure to ensure that it brings its own games up to scratch where the visuals are concerned? As it turns out, yes.
In a recent interview with EDGE magazine (via VGC), FromSoftware president and Elden Ring director Hidetaka Miyazaki (who also directed the original Demon’s Souls, Dark Souls, Dark Souls 3, Bloodborne, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice) spoke about the same, saying, “Yes, I’m pretty sure our graphics-creation staff felt that pressure more than anyone else.”
Miyazaki went on to acknowledge that graphical fidelity in general is an area where FromSoftware has been looking to improve. He said, “And not just with Elden Ring, but with all the games we make. Graphical fidelity is not something we put as the top priority. What we ask for on the graphics side depends on the systems and requirements of the game itself, and it takes less priority compared to the other elements of development.
“So this is always an area where I feel a little bit apologetic towards my graphics team because I know they work extremely hard. And they’ve worked extremely hard on Elden Ring – our graphics-systems team and our programmers have been pushing a lot of new features to create the best-looking games we’ve ever made.”
In the same interview, Miyazaki also said Elden Ring’s open world approach makes it “very close” to being his “ideal” game, and also talked about how the game ensures that players are consistently kept “interested, exploring, and having fun.”
Elden Ring is out on February 25 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, and PC.