Ahead of this week’s release of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, From Software’s President talks to Tom Hoggins about next-gen, cloud streaming and Japan’s gaming rennaisance…
For someone who is credited with creating some of the most revered video games of all time, Hidetaka Miyazaki cuts an unassuming figure.
Speaking to The Telegraph through an interpreter, the visionary director and President of Japanese developer From Software is engaged, affable and authoritative on a range of topics from across the gaming industry. But he also appears somewhat ill-at-ease with being the centre of attention, often glancing at the artwork of his latest creation, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, looming in the corner or fidgeting with his cased smartphone and notebook. As if he would rather be at his desk in the heart of From Software’s Shinjuku office; putting the finishing touches to his latest fantasy world.
Miyazaki and his team’s gothic horrors Dark Souls and the Bafta-winning Bloodborne have been critical and commercial hits, with the Dark Souls trilogy selling over 13 million copies worldwide. Miyazaki’s games, partly-inspired by Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone’s role-playing books Fighting Fantasy, are heralded for their demanding challenge and exquisitely terrifying, intricate world-building.
The industry has seen a slew of games from around the world looking to emulate From Software’s “Souls-like” style, but Miyazaki and his team also appear to be at the forefront of a Japanese renaissance in the games industry.
