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Hidetaka Miyazaki is a Japanese developer, best known for the trilogy Dark Souls. The first game in the series reshaped the industry by proving that high difficulty can still attract players. This sparked the birth of the souls-like genre, with titles that imitate Dark Souls. Miyazaki did not stop there either; beyond directing sequels to Dark Souls, he released Bloodborne, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, and Elden Ring. This article collects notable aspects of Miyazaki’s life journey.
Parents did not allow little Hidetaka to waste time and money on video games
Many developers say they played since childhood. This was true for John Romero of Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, and Earthquake fame. Yet Hidetaka grew up in a family with little money for games. His parents worried that gaming might distract him from studies and college.
Rather than arcade titles, the young Miyazaki spent evenings with board games, especially Dungeons & Dragons. This hobby left a direct imprint on his future projects, including Demon Souls and Dark Souls.
Almost every fantasy role-playing game contains elements of Dungeons & Dragons
As a child, Hidetaka Miyazaki was fond of English literature and manga.
As a youngster, Miyazaki devoured books from the local library. His favorites included George R. R. Martin, H. P. Lovecraft, and Bram Stoker. He recalls reading works in English without full translations, which meant he sometimes pieced stories together himself. This early experience shaped an artistic approach that often uses understatement as a storytelling tool. He has spoken about recreating his childhood imagination in video game form. Among the manga he loved was Berserk by Kentaro Miura.
These influences echo in his work. Bloodborne draws on Lovecraftian themes with echoes of Cthulhu and Dagon, while Berserk’s atmosphere—of a world in decline and the visual heft of swords and armor—resonates in Dark Souls. George R. R. Martin contributed to Elden Ring as well.
On the left you see a page from the manga, on the right a screenshot from Dark Souls
After meeting Ico, Miyazaki decided to become a game developer
Miyazaki did not pursue gaming seriously until he was 27. In 2001, a friend urged him to try Ico, a 3D platformer with adventure elements. The game inspired him so deeply that he decided to become a developer himself, believing games could express his childhood fantasies and continue to fuel his imagination.
Ico is often discussed alongside Shadow of the Colossus, another project from the same team. Launching a game from 2001 today would be challenging; it was released on PS2 and PS3 and has not been reissued on other platforms.
Hidetaka started developing video games when he was almost thirty years old.
In Japan, changing careers is uncommon, and many people stay with the same company for life. Miyazaki graduated from Keio University and worked for several years as a customer service manager at Oracle. At 29, he decided to switch into game development. Few studios were eager to hire someone with no prior game industry experience. This led him to FromSoftware, then actively involved in the Armored Core series. He contributed to three parts, including a fourth installment and spin-offs Last Raven and for answers.
Ever played Armored Core?
Demon’s Souls is loosely based on early FromSoftware games
Demon’s Souls is often hailed as innovative, and Dark Souls expanded on its ideas. Yet many mechanics and settings in Demon’s Souls draw from early FromSoftware titles released on PlayStation 1 in the 1990s. Shadow Tower and King’s Field carry similar grim worlds, intimidating monsters, and the soul-collection mechanic used to empower the hero. The key difference lies in perspective—Shadow Tower and King’s Field used a first-person view. Although Miyazaki did not yet engage with video games in the 1990s, those early works clearly influenced his direction.
Today, King’s Field and Shadow Tower feel outdated
The idea for Demon’s Souls multiplayer came about while driving on snowy roads
During heavy snowfall, cars often get stuck on slick slopes. People help by pushing from behind, a moment that inspired Miyazaki to recreate that sense of communal aid in a game. In Demon’s Souls and later Dark Souls, players can leave messages that others see online. Some messages provide hints, others mislead. The Souls games, including Bloodborne and Elden Ring, support multiplayer boss battles as well.
Demon’s Souls’ multiplayer felt innovative for 2009. These days, player interaction is a staple in FromSoftware titles. At the same time, players can still enjoy a solitary, immersive experience when desired.
No one believed in the success of Demon’s Souls
When Miyazaki took charge of Demon’s Souls, the project was already a case of “production hell.” The studio doubted success, granting him total creative freedom. He canceled prior projects and steered development toward a dark fantasy with uncompromising complexity, even as the industry pushed simpler experiences for casual players. The audacious approach paid off, fueling word-of-mouth buzz that helped Demon’s Souls reach markets beyond Japan.
This game laid the groundwork for the Dark Souls series. Eleven years later, a full remake of Demon’s Souls became a standout PlayStation 5 exclusive.
It is in the add-ons for Miyazaki’s games that the most difficult bosses await you
Players acclimate to FromSoftware’s famed challenge, but the toughest tests surface in the expansions. Lists of the hardest bosses often feature adversaries from story DLCs. In Dark Souls, Artorias of the Abyss introduces Manus, while Bloodborne’s The Old Hunters uncovers Ludwig and the Orphan of Kos. In Dark Souls III’s Ashes of Ariandel, one faces Sister Friede.
Sister Frida surprised players with a multi-stage battle, increasing in power as the fight progressed.
In 2014, Hidetaka Miyazaki became president of FromSoftware
Following the staggering success of the first Dark Souls, Miyazaki was named head of FromSoftware in May 2014, a decade after starting his game development career. This milestone stands out in Japan, given that he had little involvement with the industry prior to 2004.
Dark Souls 2 is the only Souls-like game FromSoftware did not develop under Miyazaki
Even after becoming president, Miyazaki remained involved in leading the studio’s Souls-like projects. The sole exception was Dark Souls 2, when he was busy with Bloodborne. Among fans, the second installment is often viewed as the studio’s weakest in recent years due to its lower difficulty, weaker narrative, and balance issues. Still, some players enjoyed it.
Deracine, a Miyazaki game that few have heard of
In 2018, after the first two Elden Ring-era projects, Deracine appeared on PlayStation VR. The game plays like an interactive film, reminiscent of Beyond: Two Souls, guiding a fairy tasked with protecting children, solving simple puzzles, and gathering objects. Journalists praised its atmospheric Victorian England setting and the heavy themes it tackles, though the gameplay proved too slow for some. Deracine remained exclusive to PlayStation VR.
Elden Ring is Hidetaka Miyazaki’s highest rated game
Some players argue that FromSoftware titles feel similar, yet the studio keeps refining its ideas and adding new twists. Elden Ring marked a major leap with a vast open world and a robust system for coordinating with AI allies. It earned Miyazaki his highest rating to date, with many outlets scoring it in the mid-to-high 90s. Comparatively, Bloodborne sits in the low 90s, Sekiro around 90, and the original Dark Souls near 89. Most reviews crowned Elden Ring as 2022’s best game. A new expansion, Shadow of the Erdtree, is planned to introduce a new region, fresh weapon types, and more than a dozen bosses. The goal is to deliver foes that challenge even the celebrated Malenia.
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Source: VG Times