FromSoftware president Hidetaka Miyazaki has commented on the turbulent state of the video game industry with regards to layoffs, saying his current vision for the company is expansion.
After a volatile 2023, 2024 got off to a rough start with mass layoffs at Unity, Xbox, Twitch, and Discord, with reports painting a dire image of the future. Talking to IGN, Miyazaki said he's "aware of the situation" and described it as "harrowing," but declined to get into the details. "I think it's difficult for me to understand the exact circumstances there. I won't speak to those in specifics," he said.
Dark Souls and Elden Ring maker FromSoftware has so far proven resilient in the wake of its 2022 Game of the Year, and Miyazaki has painted a picture in stark contrast to the industry at large, in which the sky's the limit for the Tokyo-based developer. He also recognized the fact that, as the studio grows, he can't be the only one in the director's chair, as he's been for most of the studio's major releases since Armored Core 4.
"Just speaking on behalf of FromSoftware, I think we are very blessed in the way that we have a lot of keen up and coming developers who've grown and they have developed within the studio and they've reached these director positions where they're able to direct projects such as the recent Armored Core VI," he said. "We have several of these up and coming directors who we're able to delegate these projects to, and we're able to have multiple projects on the go at once."
"What I foresee in this climate, at least for us, is a FromSoftware where games can be directed by others, not only myself. I think in the face of that struggle and the place where the games industry is right now, I do see this as a time for us to continue to grow and continue to cultivate this talent and continue to release these games for as long as we can."
FromSoftware broke from precedent when Miyazaki stepped aside for 2023's Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon, which was directed by Masaru Yamamura. In October, the studio revealed it's planning several new projects after the success of Elden Ring and Armored Core 6, and as more and more games are added to its plate, it's only natural for Miyazaki to let other developers step up in key positions.
One of those games, it turns out, could very well be Elden Ring 2.
