What is The Duskbloods, the Next Soulsborne Game From Bloodborne, Elden Ring Devs?

FromSoftware's prestige soared in the 2010s, and the studio has only continued to rally in the 2020s with releases such as Fire Ring, Armored Core 6, Fire Ring Nightreign, and soon Duskbloods. But as promising as Duskbloods looks, it's a bit unusual coming from FromSoft. Players less attuned to the company, or the genre in general, could be forgiven for not knowing much about it.

Revealed in April 2025 during an early Nintendo Switch showcase, Duskbloods is exclusive to the Switch 2. This is already enough to make it stand out against the rest of FromSoftware's catalog, as the famed developer has only ever partnered with Sony for exclusive games – and even then, only twice. Equally notable is the game's striking resemblance to Blood bornea FromSoft fan favorite released in 2015; the two games share the same dark, quasi-steampunk aesthetic and themes. As more information about Duskbloods seeps into the zeitgeist, the upcoming cooperative multiplayer soul becomes even more exciting.

What is The Duskbloods?

The game's signature haunting visuals - The Duskbloods

As Fire Ring Nightreign, Duskbloods is a co-op game designed around the iconic soul-like combat audiences have become so familiar with. But unlike Night rule, Duskbloods is not a roguelike: it is a PvPvE action RPG that supports up to eight players, competing in various matches and locations. Duskbloods will feature “over a dozen” playable characters, each with their own unique powers, stats, movesets, and lore. Together, these player characters are known as blood-sworn, vampire-like creatures who must fight blood-changed abominations, as well as each other, as humanity approaches its final hour.

Duskblood's story and setting

In typical FromSoftware fashion, Duskbloods' the story is shrouded in mystery; moreover, it will likely remain opaque until at least a few weeks after launch, when lore delvers plume the depths of its esoteric world. Still, there are some conclusions that can be drawn from what has been revealed so far.

Where and when does Duskblood take place?

One of the most important parallels between Duskbloods and Blood borne is the question of attitude and aesthetics. Duskbloods is clearly influenced by the same Gothic and Victorian architecture and fashion as its 2015 predecessor. Characters are depicted wearing 19th century clothing, buildings are impressive and ornate, and many pieces of equipment, such as guns and knives, are also very common.

It also taps into the same Van Helsing and steampunk vibes that Blood bornebut probably more so. As for the vampire hunting feed, Duskbloods seems to be more focused on beasts and absurd magical concepts than the vague cosmic mysticism shown in Blood borne (although this is hard to be sure at this stage). The steampunk inspiration is also much more obvious point by point, like Duskbloods' reveal trailer shows a fully functioning train system and even a character in a Rocketeer-like metal suit. Like most FromSoftware games, Duskbloods will probably be disconnected from both the real world and other FromSoft IP.

How The Duskbloods break a massive from software tradition

What we know about The Duskbloods' story

Duskbloods takes place during an era known as The Twilight of Humanity, when civilization is nearing its end. Each Bloodsworn must search for a substance called First Blood, which will be used for…something important. Again, this is a FromSoftware game, so the exact nature of this crucial material, like Paleblood, the Ring of Elden, and the First Flame before it, is muddled. But one can assume that First Blood is meant to play a crucial role in either reversing, preventing, or otherwise mitigating The Twilight of Humanity.

In their pursuit of First Blood, the Bloodsworn are tasked with visiting various locations and time periods, which are the backdrop for each individual game session. While DuskbloodsEarly commercials maintain a consistent Victorian theme, although as it approaches more modern concepts such as railways, it is possible that its setting will actually be far more varied than first assumed. If Bloodsworn can travel through time, perhaps the game's environments, enemy types, and plot beats will be much more varied than the gothic-centric reveal trailer suggests.

DuskbloodppThe title is a reference to the bloodsworn themselves: Hidetaka Miyazaki has described “Duskbloods” and “Bloodsworn” as somewhat interchangeable.

Is The Duskbloods a bloody sequel?

Many have speculated about it Duskbloods is actually connected to Blood borne in some ways, as its aesthetic and narrative themes are so reminiscent of the previous game. Even setting aside FromSoftware's own comments on the matter, this is highly unlikely for several reasons, not the least of which is that Sony owns it Blood borne IP. Then Duskbloods is a Switch 2 exclusive, it would be pretty unlikely for it to have any explicit connection to Blood bornefor better or for worse.

The Duskblood's game

FromSoftware has been pretty clear that multiplayer is at the core Duskbloodsat least to the same extent as Fire Ring Nightreign. Based on available information, the broad game loop appears to be similar to the following:

Embark on PvPvE matches with other players
Earn Victory Points when you're done
Return to the hub area, where character customization takes place, using Victory Points as currency
Repeat the PvPvE cycle

According to Miyazaki, players can assign their chosen character a role, which determines their victory conditions for the following match. These victory conditions can range from seeking out and defeating another player to the exact opposite – helping a specific player and forming a bond with them. Completing these role-based objectives will provide special rewards.

The Duskblood release date

Duskbloods is slated for 2026, though neither FromSoftware nor Nintendo has issued a specific date at the time of writing. As Fire Ring Night ruleThe first year is coming to an end, the developer may soon have a little more bandwidth to spend Duskbloods promotion.

The latest leaks claim that FromSoftware has been developed Duskbloods longer than any of its other games, incl Fire Ringand that it is a much more ambitious project than what the developer has given so far. Hopefully, FromSoft won't wait too long to pull back the curtain further, so we can truly judge just how innovative this title can be.