The legendary studio behind Elden Ring returns to Nintendo-exclusive development for the first time since the GameCube era with the upcoming Switch 2 title The Duskbloods.
In a development that has sent ripples through the gaming community, FromSoftware is set to break a 23-year hiatus from creating exclusive titles for Nintendo platforms. The upcoming title The Duskbloods, one of the most anticipated Nintendo Switch 2 games of 2026, marks the studio's first Nintendo-exclusive project since 2003.
The last time FromSoftware developed an exclusive game for a Nintendo console was the Lost Kingdoms series — the original launched on GameCube in 2002, followed by Lost Kingdoms 2 in 2003. These cult-classic action RPGs, which blended real-time combat with deck-building card mechanics, laid important groundwork for what would eventually become the Souls-like formula, even though Hidetaka Miyazaki was not involved in their development.
The Duskbloods represents a full-circle moment for the studio. Described as a 8-player PvPvE souls-like experience, the game leverages the Switch 2's portable nature and robust Nintendo Switch Online infrastructure to deliver what could be the most accessible multiplayer FromSoftware title to date. The move is also strategically significant — it positions Nintendo's new hardware as a serious platform for hardcore action games traditionally associated with PlayStation and PC.
For Elden Ring fans, this development carries additional weight. FromSoftware's parent company Kadokawa has confirmed that both Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition (coming to Switch 2) and The Duskbloods are key pillars of their 2026 lineup. This suggests that FromSoftware is operating at full capacity across multiple projects, with the Switch 2 serving as a major new platform for their distinctive brand of challenging, atmospheric action games.
What makes The Duskbloods particularly intriguing is its PvPvE concept — eight players enter a shared world where they must battle both environmental threats and each other. This marks a significant departure from FromSoftware's traditional single-player or cooperative focus, though the recent success of Nightreign and ongoing interest in Elden Ring's multiplayer component suggests strong audience appetite for this format.
As the broader FromSoftware community digests this news, the Elden Ring player base continues to thrive. The recent Tarnished Edition announcement drove concurrent Steam players past 80,000, and anticipation for both the Switch 2 port and The Duskbloods is expected to keep interest in the studio's catalog at an all-time high throughout 2026.