Game Rant had the unique privilege to talk with Bloodborne Producer Masaaki Yamagiwa. While we certainly would have liked to delve into the nitty gritty of Bloodborne, our questions are general in nature, mostly because at the time we had yet to actually play From Software’s PS4 exclusive.

Even so, Yamagiwa offers some interesting looks into the development of Bloodborne and where From Software may be looking to take future entries in the overarching Souls franchise. Yes, Bloodborne may not be a Dark Souls game, but it’s certainly from the same lineage. Here’s what Yamagiwa had to say:

Game Rant: One of the most striking aspects of the Souls games is the diverse and genuinely intimidating array of creatures that populate their worlds. Is there a particular beast or creature that sticks out to you and stands above the others?

Masaaki Yamagiwa: Several creatures come to mind, one such being the “Snatcher.” He’s both intimidating and powerful, plus his unique role in the underlying story scores major interest points.

GR: You have mentioned that co-op could be the secret to appealing to both hardcore and casual gamers in Bloodborne. Do you think it is possible to achieve this in a single-player setting? If so, how?

This title was engineered to be a solid experience that delivers a sure sense of accomplishment. You can hack through Bloodborne relying on nothing but your raw gamer skills—or, if you like, slowly generate a battle plan and strategize. We built this world for all to savour, regardless of initial skill level. Every moment you play is a moment of growth—I think that’s a really fun concept, no?

GR: The Souls games were notorious for their large number of player stats and expansive levelling system. Will the levelling system in Bloodborne be similar to the Souls games or take a more streamlined approach?

The leveling system fans expect is alive and well in this title—with a few new approaches integrated. Some of the most basic changes include centring attire stats on a base damage reduction ratio, and boosting weapon efficiency in tandem with character stats. This design choice was made to keep tactically effective gear from becoming obsolete at higher levels.

GR: Following Bloodborne's Victorian/Van Helsing influence, what setting or theme would you most like to work with next?

There are a lot of settings and themes we would like to try—fantasy and science fiction to name a couple. But, gameplay comes first and foremost. We want to make a game that is fun to play, period. Once that foundation is in place, we can select a backdrop that’s stylistically fitting.

GR: Moving forward, would you like to continue down the road of titles like the Souls games and Bloodborne or is there another genre that you would be interested in tackling?

That’s a tough question to answer. I’m a little too ambitious for my own good, so ideally I’d like to try both at once. (laughs)

You know, on Twitter, I’m always witnessing a flood of tweets from the many people enjoying Bloodborne. As long as the demand’s there, I’d like to keep making hardcore games one way or another. That said, as Demon’s Souls and Bloodborne demonstrated, we also operate under a banner of creating new games offering new experiences—which, moving forward, we don’t intend to forsake.

We thank Masaaki Yamagiwa for his time and his answers. Bloodborne is available now for PS4.