Hidetaka Miyazaki is one of the most influential game directors of the last generation, but he’ll never tell you that. Director on Demon’s Souls, Dark Souls, and Bloodborne, he helped put From Software on the AAA developer map by creating beautiful, punishing, and incredibly rewarding games that remind us what it was like to sit in front of our NES’ and chip away at the classics.

During our IGN First trip to Tokyo for Bloodborne, we spent a day at From Software and sat down with Miyazaki himself. Our discussion traveled from Bloodborne’s inception, to the rise of speed runs and streaming, and even to which games he’s looking forward to in 2015. Sit back and relax, this one’s a doozy.

On How Bloodborne Came to Be

“To speak precisely on the timing, it was just about when we were wrapping up Prepare to Die when Sony approached From Software.” Miyazaki’s response to Sony? "Why don't we start talking about next-gen?"

But of course, the world of Bloodborne was something that Miyazaki had been thinking about for quite some time. “...the game mechanics, or the gothic theme for example, those were some areas or concepts that were always brewing, and one of the areas that I always wanted to achieve in my career, and I knew that when that trigger was pulled, this was it.”

On Inspirations for the Setting

The world of Bloodborne is brimming with influences from our own history. From the aesthetics of Victorian London, to the mass hysteria of the Black Plague, it feels familiar while still maintaining an air of mystery.

When I asked Miyazaki about his history with...well...history, he responded, “The short answer to your question is...not necessarily did I really study the history during my student years. However, it has always been an area of interest, naturally as you can see with my games. One thing I'd like to emphasize is that because they are areas of interest, and because they have significant roles in human history, there isn't really a specific element that I'd like to pursue or I would like to connect to as an inspiration, specifically because if I did, I would dig too deep into that particular angle of history or incident, and it's more or less a hybrid. I touch these points lightly, intentionally.”

On Reading Books Before Playing Games

Miyazaki’s love for reading is immediately apparent when you hear him speak. He explained to us, “Growing up, as a kid, I loved to read. I liked to read books that were above my range. I always tried to aim higher and read difficult books. What would happen is, although I could read them, sometimes -- because I was so young -- I couldn't read TOO deep into them. Maybe I would understand half of the story? What would happen is that my imagination would help fill the other half, and that imagination element would just blow up. That's kind of the part I enjoyed as well, filling the gaps of where I didn't understand the readings, where my imagination took me eventually to think that I understood what I was reading.”

He elaborated, “It kind of relates to what I'm doing in my creations. In addition to that, I studied Sociolology and Psychology, and, after school, I revisited those themes, and this is the fruit of what you're experiencing now.”

When asked if he played games a lot as a kid, his answer surprised. “Growing up, I was restricted at home from playing video games until I reached University. This is a reason why I stumble when I'm asked this question. There was a board game called Sorcery which is one of my favorites and I would often revisit the game. It's not a video game but it definitely stands out in my mind as a game that impacted me.” Unsurprisingly, he elaborated on another physical game he enjoyed, “I've been a fan of Dungeons and Dragons, and for them to have come this far is very meaningful to me.”

On How Development on PS3 Informed PS4

Miazaki began his career developing games for the PlayStation 3. Years later, he’s on a brand-new piece of hardware. We asked him about that leap in technology. “...the PS3, at that time, was revolutionary for introducing the network features and functionality, hence, that kind of explains why Demon's Souls and Dark Souls were designed in those ways. Now, fast forwarding to PS4, the Share feature is obviously adding onto that network connectivity and capability and the sharing of the experience. This is an area which plays a theme in Bloodborne where for example, sharing dungeons will be one of the key factors.”

On Speed Runs and Streaming

Beneath the initial layer of extreme difficulty and opaque storytelling, the Souls community has rallied around mind-boggling speed runs and long-form streams of the games. And you know what, Miyazaki is a huge fan of this. When asked if he predicted this community during development, he cheerfully replied, “I'm very well aware of how players are enjoying the speed runs. I would like to correct that I'm nowhere near perfect and that was nowhere near what I was aiming for or expected. That was actually behavior by the consumer base that I did not anticipate. I have watched those and I actually enjoy that kind of...almost...interaction, in some ways and that is also at the core of my thinking or philosophy upon game design.”

In terms of streaming the entire game on services like Twitch, he sees both the positives and negatives. “Of course, there are areas or storylines for example that I would like for the users to experience or take away from Bloodborne, but there's always kind of a thought that it would be interesting from my or the team's point of view as well, where the gamers take it and how they get creative and how they want to play.” He continued, “I see it as almost an interaction between the two, in terms of, ‘Oh, I actually didn't think of that, but you took it in a different way and found YOUR way or interpretation of how you would like to enjoy Bloodborne.’”

On Bloodborne’s Ties to Demon’s Souls

Between the ties to Sony, the faster combat, and the presence of a Nexus-like hub world, Bloodborne definitely feels like a follow-up to Demon’s Souls. When asked, Miyazaki told us, “Just reflecting on your question and the history of my development...tt carries the DNA. It carries the DNA of Demon's Souls and its very specific level design. And even in Bloodborne, the upper maps, the maps above ground, are all along the lines of Demon's Souls and very specifically designed.”

But that’s not to say there’s nothing new in Bloodborne. Specifically, the procedurally-generated Chalice Dungeon throws a curveball at what most Souls fans expect from the bespoke level design of the games. Miyazaki resumed, “In terms of Chalice Dungeon, yes, there is an element of randomness. However, once, for example, a Chalice Dungeon is created, you can lock that. Once you've locked it, you can go back and play it time and time again and learn it. So, on those terms, it's still along the lines of a Demon's Souls experience. But, we did want to have some sort of variance with a new IP like Bloodborne, to throw something new into the mix.”

With a smile, he concluded, “Hopefully, it will resonate with the people and the fans will appreciate it.”

On Horror

What genre does Miyazaki consider the themes of Bloodborne to fall under? We asked if he was a big fan of horror, and his reply surprised us. “I'm not necessarily a fan of horror genre of movies or books. I do like reading in general but I'm not specific in terms of genres. If I had to call out a genre, I would say dark fantasy. I do like taking things in from text and letting my imagination explore and run with the stories. What you see is the full combination of a lot of those elements combined with the core theme of the game.”

On whether he’d ever tackle a lighter, more family-friendly tone in a video game, he smiled and replied, “It's funny you say that because I get asked this question quite frequently, and my answer to this has always been that I've always had an interest in doing something colorful or heartwarming, but no one believes me.”

“Admittedly, games like [Bloodborne], which are dark and somber, are kind of my expertise and that's what I go back to, those are my roots and probably something I'll continue doing. However, I've always had an interest in doing something that's more child-friendly or more colorful and lively. For example, games like PoPoLoCrois on PS1, Ico on PS2...those games stand out from my point of view, just as examples, of something I'd like to explore given the opportunities.”

On Quickening the Pace of Combat

The first thing most people think when they get their hands on Bloodborne usually revolves around the more aggressive-nature of combat. According to Miyazaki, “There are two reasons for this. I wanted to differentiate from the previous series and I wanted to consider the hunt your nightmare theme. Considering the hunt your nightmare theme and the massive challenges in the game, adding the speed element and proactive battles, I thought this was a better match for Bloodborne. I felt that by adding the faster paced proactive combat players would gain a sense of accomplishment by overcoming those battles.

On How the Hell Multiplayer Works

Multiplayer has always been a bit of a mystery in the Souls games. In light of recent trailers that showcased three human players teaming up to fight a single boss, fans theorized that there might be a more streamlined, jump into a friend’s game kind of multiplayer this time around.



Well, that’s not the case, as Miyazaki clarified. “You still have to go through the matchmaking process. However, there is a workaround where you can use keywords or a secret word and share them with friends. And of course, you can use Chalice Dungeons where you can share your chalice Dungeon with a limited number of friends.”

On His Influence on Gaming as a Whole

Despite the monumental success of his games, Miyazaki is a quiet, and humble creator. When asked how he felt about the Souls games being some of the most influential of the past generations, smiled and responded, “I'm very humbled and grateful to even be considered that influential in the industry. I feel that may be a bit exaggerated. I have been influenced by many games in the industry and am grateful and honored to be a part of the games industry.” After a moment of silence, he finished with a laugh, “I often get criticized for not answering this question well *laughter*

On Where Games Will Be in Five Years

“If I knew the answer to that question I would tell you! (laughs)”

On the Rise of Virtual Reality

It seems like a trade show can’t go by without news regarding some form of VR, whether it be Oculus, Morpheus, or anyone else. Miyazaki understands the appeal, saying, “I feel that the devices are such impactful pieces of technology that..it's a game-changer by itself, the delivery and the experience. Business aside, from the point of view of a creator, I would like to be a part of that exploration, of that movement and process. Fingers crossed, as an outsider, that it takes off. Still, as a creator, I'd like to be a part of that movement. Looking back at when the PS1 and N64 came out, polygons were the big thing, and suddenly the experience of 3D on your screen was made a reality.”

He continued on the future of the technology, “I'm very excited for the possibility of Oculus and Morpheus to explore another phase, a new angle, of innovation, and how could I deliver content, game-specific content. That's something that really excites me.”

On His Most Anticipated Games of 2015

We finished off our time with Miyazaki by focusing on life after Bloodborne. Once the game is out the door, what is he looking forwarding to playing?

“Just specifically from the game industry point of view, I'm looking forward to E3 for example, and specifically, being domestic developers, games like Metal Gear Solid V...obviously being open world, something new. And Zelda, again open world and a very new approach that they're taking. [Those are] probably the two pillar titles that I'm looking forward to. From a consumer point of view, Evolve is one I want to get my hands on and start playing. Left 4 Dead is something I really enjoyed in the past and I'd like to, if I have the time, explore Evolve as well.”

On What’s Next

But of course, as much as he’d love to sit down and play games for the rest of 2015, that probably isn’t going to happen. He concluded with a smile, “Realistically speaking, once I've wrapped this, anytime I have extra time on my hands, I will start to create or develop or design something new, because that's the most exciting thing.”

Consider us equally excited.