Summary
Despite releasing its first game in 1994,FromSoftwaredidn’t become a household name—at least in the West—until the release ofDark Soulsin 2011. Though theArmored Corefranchise had some pretty big hits,King’s Fieldhad its die-hard fans, andDemon’s Soulsstarted to turn heads,Dark Soulswas the first FromSoftware game to really capture the Western market, essentially creating a whole new genre in the process. From that point on, all eyes have been on FromSoftware, and with each successive smash hit it’s only continued to grow its impressive legacy.
This legacy reached new heights with the release of 2022’sElden Ring, a game that’s managed to sell an incredibly impressive 23 million copies so far, a pretty sizable step up fromDark Souls 3andSekiro’s 10 million each. With all these newFromSoftwarefans now on board, many are looking to try out some of the developer’s older titles, and while some games can be played easily on modern hardware, some can’t, and that’s sparked a desire for some remakes. FromSoftware would likely want to focus on the future rather than look to its past, but adopting aResident Evil-like release strategy could offer the best of both worlds.
FromSoftware Could Adopt a Resident Evil-Like Release Cycle
Resident Evil’s Release Cycle Is Catering to All Fans
After a few years of experimenting, Capcom seems to have found its sweet spot withtheResident Evilfranchise, delivering a release cycle that sees a new mainline entry launch followed by a remake, followed by another mainline entry, and so on. Generally speaking, this cycle seems to be doing very well for Capcom, with the last fewResident Evilreleases being some of the best-selling games in franchise history. But this approach isn’t just beneficial to Capcom.
One of the biggest complaints of entries likeResident Evil 5and6was that they didn’t really feel like classicResident Eviltitles, choosing to forego puzzles and atmosphere for bombastic, blockbuster action set pieces. WhileResident Evil 7offered a much more traditional series experience, it still switched things up quite dramatically, introducing a first-person perspective to the franchise. That said, a strictreturn toResident Evil’s rootswas still desired.
Then along came 2019’sResident Evil 2, delivering an incredibly faithful recreation of the classic 1998 game, albeit with some major modern-age overhauls. For those who wanted a true return to form,Resident Evil 2’s remake was it. Thus began theResident Evilrelease cyclethat’s still ongoing today, a cycle that’s able to cater to all fans by delivering mainline entries that provide something new, and remakes that offer a classic experience.
FromSoftware Could Cater to Fans By Using a Similar Approach
For a good few years now, many FromSoftware fans have been hoping that aBloodborneremake is in the works, either at FromSoft itself or at Bluepoint, the studio behind the2020Demon’s Soulsremake. WithBloodbornestill being a PlayStation exclusive, and an almost decade-old one at that, it would certainly make sense for FromSoftware to remake the game, though it likely doesn’t align with the studio’s current approach.
AResident Evil-like approach could deliver a cycle of remakes for classic titles followed by innovative, brand-new experiences. Of course, FromSoftware wouldn’t be able tofollow inResident Evil’s footstepsexactly as there are far fewer classic FromSoft titles for the studio to remake, but it could be an effective strategy while it lasts, especially if each remake featured new content as well as visual and performance upgrades.
Elden Ring
WHERE TO PLAY
ELDEN RING, developed by FromSoftware, Inc. and BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Inc., is a fantasy action-RPG adventure set within a world created by Hidetaka Miyazaki and George R.R. Martin. Danger and discovery lurk around every corner in FromSoftware’s largest game to date. Hidetaka Miyazaki - President and Game Director of FromSoftware Inc. Known for directing critically-acclaimed games in beloved franchises including Armored Core and Dark Souls.George R.R. Martin is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of many novels, including the acclaimed series A Song of Ice and Fire - A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords, A Feast For Crows, and A Dance with Dragons. As a writer-producer, he has worked on The Twilight Zone, Beauty and the Beast, and various feature films and pilots that were never made. He lives with the lovely Parris in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
