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The father of the Soulslike genre, Hidetaka Miyazaki, says that Elden Ring's success won't determine whatever fresh hell the sadistic minds at FromSoftware come up with next. At last count, Elden Ring had sold a cool 20 million copies across all platforms. In addition, he's looking at hardcore PC multiplayer games like Escape From Tarkov for inspiration.

In an interview with IGN at the 26th annual Dice Awards, where Elden Ring picked up five wins, including Game of the Year. Miyazaki discussed what comes next, noting that "obviously, Elden Ring is a commercial success. Everybody's aware about that, but it doesn't really affect what we are going to create next. We basically keep creating the game that we want to create, and that's our policy. It's very simple."

When asked what new ideas, trends or technologies inspired him, Miyazaki mused it was the kinds of "multiplayer elements that, in terms of both technology and the game designs, we keep updating. I'm really interested in that as one of the fans and one of the creators. Especially speaking of [Escape From] Tarkov, for example. So I'm basically paying attention to those elements as a creator and fan of the game."

Miyazaki is interested in the way that other developers in the industry "keep updating multiplayer network functionality and the game design in order to change the way that the players are involved in the gameplay, and how the players are used as one of the resources for the gameplay. So that's why I'm paying attention to these elements."

The unique multiplayer functionality of FromSoftware's expanded universe of games has almost always been a central pillar of game design, so it makes sense that Miyazaki would look to successful games in that space for inspiration. We can't imagine Miyazaki's next title will include a Battle Pass, and so have to imagine it's the emergent social interactions that happen on the battlefield in games like Escape From Tarkov he is alluding to.

What do you think of Miyazaki's comments? What aspect of modern multiplayer games would you like to see implemented in FromSoftware's next game? Make it to the extraction zone just south of the comments section below.

[source ign.com]