During today’s Nintendo Direct, we got a small new look at FromSoftware’s upcoming online action RPG The Duskbloods. We still have no idea when it’s coming out, beyond the vague 2026 window originally promised, but we at least have a rough date for the game’s first online network test. It is set to happen on Switch 2 sometime this summer.
The Duskbloods was first announced in April 2025 as a Switch 2 exclusive and the next big RPG from the Elden Ring developers. It will support up to eight players online and has big Bloodborne vibes, something we saw more of in today’s very short trailer. And…that’s about all we saw in today’s new video. The big news came at the end with the confirmation of an online network test that will arrive in the summer.
What we do know about Duskbloods, a game that was always planned for Switch 2, is that it’s a battle royale-like experience with PvE missions and discrete rounds. The gameplay loop of The Duskbloods makes it sound very much like a match-based multiplayer game rather than something more directed and exploration-driven. Players start in a hub area, then enter a match, and then the last player left standing wins. However, players will sometimes team up to take on a boss or complete other types of quests during these rounds.
For those worried that FromSoftware is done making big, single-player RPGs like Dark Souls, don’t be. Elden Ring director Hidetaka Miyazaki confirmed in an interview last year that while Duskbloods is an “online multiplayer title at its core,” that doesn’t mean that “we as a company have decided to shift to a more multiplayer-focused direction with titles going forward. We still intend to actively develop single-player focused games…that embrace our more traditional style.”
As for Duskbloods, well, it’s out later this year. Will it avoid the giant pile-up happening in late September and October? We’ll find out…eventually.