 How do you follow up a series as popular as Dark Souls? In 2016 this was the problem facing from software a Game studio with a long prestigious history of making games the company had one standout mega hit franchise that overshadowed all else Their game library was eclectic and varied but Dark Souls was the crown jewel It was the series that everyone cared the most about So as they wrapped up Dark Souls 3 and completed this world famous trilogy What could they possibly do next? From softwares president superstar or tour game maker Hidetaka Miyazaki had a plan The company's future after Dark Souls he decided Hinged on bringing back what he loved about from softwares games before Dark Souls It was time for a nostalgia trip This is the story of Sekiro Shadows Die Twice and how from software looked to their past In order to chart their future The plans for Sekiro Shadows Die Twice actually started long before the conclusion of the Dark Souls series Back around the time that from software had finished Bloodborne There were already murmurs across the studio about doing something different Bloodborne Demon Souls and Dark Souls were all games that were heavily steeped in European folklore They had come from director Hidetaka Miyazaki's love of western architecture and aesthetics But after four games set in this part of the world It felt like time to try something new The solution came from earlier games that the company had produced Back before Dark Souls from software had made games like Otogi and Ninja Blade Which were fast-paced action games set in a more traditional Japanese setting This felt like a nice way to use the strengths that the studio had developed while working on Dark Souls The studio was good at creating big expansive worlds filled with colorful characters and interesting secrets And a game with a bit more speed to it would mean approaching these worlds in a totally different manner The aim of the game was shaking things up and trying something new While also using the experience that Hidetaka's studio had developed over the past few decades This process also involved stripping back a lot of the wider elements of Dark Souls gameplay in order to focus on a more narrow design The deliberate decision was made to create a dynamic protagonist for the game Instead of letting the player come up with their own character Instead of a lone unimportant wanderer experiencing the game's story from the sidelines This time the player is thrown right into the fray as the most important person in the world Even the decision to eliminate different character classes and much of the game's customization Worked towards giving the player a more structured narrative experience Why do this when from software's previous games had been so well received? simple To try something new What was the point of getting stuck in a rut and making the same game over and over? To this end Hidetaka also made a conscious effort to stay away from writing or editing the game's dialogue He felt that his quirky style of writing was a little too familiar to his company's fans So he wanted to give other members of the team a chance to shine Sekiro shouldn't just feel like yet another souls game It needed to feel like a unique experience in its own right This being the case Sekiro wasn't the only project that Hidetaka elected to work on He was used to pulling double duty in creating two games at once Such as helming work on Bloodborne and Dark Souls 3 at the same time But alongside Sekiro, he also chose to make something totally different Derosene a nonviolent virtual reality adventure game This too was a throwback to earlier from software games One in particular, Echo Knight, was one of from software's earliest games And instead of being about fighting was about mystery and exploration So Hidetaka worked on both Derosene and Sekiro at the same time And he felt that these two very different games complemented each other perfectly Sekiro being very much in the same gory violent vein as Dark Souls could be overwhelming After a long time spent in this creative world Hidetaka would get exhausted When this happened, he simply picked himself up Moved down the hall, went into a room in a different part of the studio And worked on Derosene instead Allowing the game's calm relaxing environment to wash away all his tension But of course he could end up staying in this peaceful world for too long as well Whenever he felt like he'd indulged himself too much And he needed to leave this sleepy game behind Hidetaka would move back to working on Sekiro The typical process for making a game at from software is very well established First the team of creators put together their design ideas for the general tone and style of the game And then they shop it around to publishers to see who might want to work with them in bringing it to customers This time around, Activision ended up partnering with from software And Hidetaka found their unique perspectives and talents very appealing From software games, particularly those in the Souls series, are not known for being very forgiving to new players Thus Hidetaka relied on Activision to make Sekiro a little more friendly to those who might not have already got good at playing these kinds of games This didn't mean watering down the challenge of the title, but rather building in a difficulty curve Most notably, Activision worked hard on creating the early game content Such as clear tutorials to stop players from feeling overwhelmed if they weren't used to the intense experiences that from software tended to make Activision even decided on the name of the game Initially, the plan had been to simply name from software's latest creation Sekiro But when putting together a trailer for the game, Hidetaka decided to make reference to the game's exploration of life after death Adding in the text, Shadows Die Twice The team at Activision loved this and, after some persuading, convinced from software to officially add it to the game's title The end of development on Sekiro, Shadows Die Twice, came when its deadline rolled around There was no single moment when Hidetaka sat back and announced that he was finished As a perfectionist, Hidetaka knows that he'd keep tinkering and polishing all of his games forever if given the chance Thus, he sets his project very clear, specific deadlines Once the deadline is reached, the game is finished, even if he feels like there's more he could add Because, ultimately, there's always more that Hidetaka would like to add Thus, at the end of three years of development, Sekiro, Shadows Die Twice was completed and Hidetaka was pleased with it This wasn't a Dark Souls game It wasn't completely a spiritual successor to any of the previous Japanese folklore-inspired titles that From Software had made in the past It was its own unique thing, and that made Hidetaka happy The moral of the story is that sometimes it's important to try something new You can become safe and complacent in your comfort zone, doing the same thing over and over While this can be very easy, it's often hard to learn when you're always repeating yourself Try something new Learn a new skill, set a different kind of goal, and work towards developing in a different way Don't forget all that you've already learned, but bring these skills with you as you venture into the unknown You might not always succeed In fact, if you're doing this right, you'll definitely fail sometime But you'll learn and you'll grow and that's what matters most