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

FromSoftware’s prestige skyrocketed over the course of the 2010s, and the studio has only continued to gather in the 2020s with releases like Elden Ring, Armored Core 6, Elden Ring Nightreign, and soon The Duskbloods. But as promising as The Duskbloods looks, it is a bit unusual coming from FromSoft. Gamers 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, The Duskbloods is a Switch 2 exclusive. 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 similarity to Bloodborne, a FromSoft fan-favorite released in 2015; the two games feature the same dark, quasi-steampunk aesthetics and themes. As more information about The Duskbloods seeps into the zeitgeist, the upcoming cooperative multiplayer soulslike becomes even more intriguing.

What Is The Duskbloods?

The game's signature haunting imagery - The Duskbloods

Like Elden Ring Nightreign, The Duskbloods is a co-op game designed around the iconic soulslike combat audiences have grown so familiar with. But unlike Nightreign, The Duskbloods is not a roguelike: it’s a PvPvE action-RPG that supports up to eight players, who compete in various matches and locations. The Duskbloods will feature “over a dozen” playable characters, each with their own unique powers, stats, movesets, and lore. Collectively, these player-characters are known as Bloodsworn, vampire-like beings who must fight blood-altered abominations, as well as each other, as humankind approaches its final hour.

The Duskbloods’ Story and Setting

In typical FromSoftware fashion, The Duskbloods‘ narrative is shrouded in mystery; moreover, it will likely continue to be opaque until at least a few weeks post-launch, once lore-delvers plumb the depths of its esoteric world. Still, there are a few conclusions that can be drawn from what’s been unveiled so far.

Where and When Does The Duskbloods Take Place?

One of the most significant parallels between The Duskbloods and Bloodborne is the matter of setting and aesthetic. The 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 imposing and ornate, and many pieces of equipment, such as guns and blades, are very of-the-times as well.

It’s also leveraging the same Van Helsing and steampunk vibes as Bloodborne, but arguably more so. As for the vampire-hunting fodder, The Duskbloods seems to be more focused on beasts and abject magical concepts than the vague cosmic mysticism on display in Bloodborne (though this is hard to be sure about at this stage). The steampunk inspiration is also far more obvious at points, as The Duskbloods‘ reveal trailer shows a fully-functioning train system and even a character in a Rocketeer-like metal suit. Like most FromSoftware games, The Duskbloods will probably be decoupled from both the real world and other FromSoft IP.

How The Duskbloods Breaks a Massive FromSoftware Tradition

What We Know About The Duskbloods’ Story

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

In their quest for First Blood, Bloodsworn are tasked with visiting distinct locations and time periods, which are the backdrops for each individual game session. While The Duskbloods‘ early promotional footage maintains a consistent Victorian theme, even as it approaches more modern concepts like railways, it’s possible that its setting will actually be far more diverse than first assumed. If the Bloodsworn are able to travel through time, perhaps the game’s environments, enemy types, and plot beats will be far more varied than the Gothic-centric reveal trailer suggests.

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

Is The Duskbloods a Bloodborne Sequel?

Many have speculated that The Duskbloods is actually linked to Bloodborne in some way, as its aesthetic and narrative themes are so reminiscent of that earlier game. Even putting aside FromSoftware’s own comments on the matter, this is highly unlikely for several reasons, not the least of which being that Sony owns the Bloodborne IP. Since The Duskbloods is a Switch 2 exclusive, it would be quite implausible for it to have any explicit connection to Bloodborne, for better or worse.

The Duskbloods’ Gameplay

FromSoftware has been quite clear about multiplayer being at the heart of The Duskbloods, at least to the same extent as Elden Ring Nightreign. Based on available information, the broad-strokes gameplay loop seems to resemble the following:

Embark on PvPvE matches with other players
Earn Victory Points upon completion
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 condition for the following match. These victory conditions can range from seeking and defeating another player to the exact opposite—aiding a specific player and forming a bond with them. Completing these role-based objectives will grant special rewards.

The Duskbloods’ Release Date

The Duskbloods is slated for 2026, though neither FromSoftware nor Nintendo has issued a specific date at the time of writing. As Elden Ring Nightreign‘s first year comes to an end, the developer may soon have a bit more bandwidth to expend on Duskbloods promotion.

Recent leaks allege that FromSoftware has been developing The Duskbloods for longer than any of its other games, including Elden Ring, and that it’s a far more ambitious project than the developer has let on thus far. Hopefully, FromSoft won’t wait too long to further draw back the curtain, so that we can really assess how innovative this title could be.