One would be hard-pressed to name a game that has been as influential to modern gaming as Dark Souls. The fact of the matter is that Dark Souls is easily one of the greatest games of all time, pioneering a new wave of gaming where gamers are taken seriously and their skills are put to the test. The creator of the game, Hidetaka Miyazaki, is now considered by many to be a genius in the gaming industry, mainly because of his success with the Soulsborne franchises.
So, with a game that is as widely revered as Dark Souls, there's bound to be some interesting facts surrounding the development of this landmark title. While hardcore fans might state that they know everything there is to know about the title's development, there are actually many elusive facts that most people simply aren't aware of.
So, keeping this statement in mind, here are ten of the most interesting facts surrounding Dark Souls' development.
10 Miyazaki's Childhood Is Quite A Rollercoaster
It would be impossible to talk about the development of Dark Souls without detailing out the journey of Hidetaka Miyazaki and the events that led him to be in charge of this project in the first place.
He grew up in a poor household and wasn't allowed to play video games before joining college. However, he did experience the joy of playing tabletop games and gamebooks.
What's interesting about Miyazaki is the fact that he was a heavy reader, to the point where he would read English books that he didn't understand and use his imagination to make sense of parts that he couldn't understand — something that he has incorporated in his unique brand of video game design as well.
9 He Worked As An Account Manager Before Taking A Job In The Gaming Industry
Miyazaki was initially stuck in a boring job as an account manager before decided to do what he loved and switch to video game design.
However, without prior experience, no company was willing to hire Miyazaki. It was after a grueling job hunt that he finally managed to land a job at From Software... albeit with a sizeable pay cut.
8 The Game That Convinced Him To Make The Switch Was Ico
During his time as an account manager, a friend recommended the game Ico to him. Miyazaki was so impressed by the achievements of this title that he decided to take a big step and leave his job in order to follow his dreams.
So, it can be said that without this release by Team Ico, Dark Souls would never have existed.
7 Demon's Souls Was A Failure Before Miyazaki Took The Reigns
One thing that needs to be stated is that Miyazaki got the opportunity to direct Demon's Souls — Dark Souls' lesser-known predecessor — simply because the game was considered to be a complete failure by From Software.
This allowed Miyazaki to take a ton of risks with this title, simply because people didn't care since the title had already been labeled as a doomed one from the get-go.
6 Dark Souls Is Not A Direct Successor To Demon's Souls
One thing that needs to be clarified before getting into the meat of Dark Souls' development is that Miyazaki never intended this title to be a direct sequel to Demon's Souls.
Rather, Dark Souls was meant to be more of a spiritual successor, taking the gameplay and setting of the previous title and weaving a new story around it.
5 Dark Souls Was Heavily Inspired By Dark Fantasy Works Like Berserk
The dark fantasy setting of Dark Souls was inspired by established dark fantasy works that Miyazaki had a vested interest in.
One of the biggest influences was definitely Berserk, and one need only look at the sheer number of references in Dark Souls to this franchise to understand how much Miyazaki absolutely loves this classic dark fantasy manga.
4 The Game's Design Followed Three Guidelines — Gods, Demons, And Death
The design of Dark Souls was based on three guidelines that Miyazaki had established.
The first was the theme of Gods and Knights (Anor Londo), the second was pertaining to demons and flames (Lost Izalith), and the third was around the physical manifestation of death itself (Gravelord Nito). By designing aspects around these three games, Dark Souls slowly gained an identity of its own over the course of its development.
3 The Game Takes Inspiration From Several Mythologies And Stories
It's very apparent that Miyazaki is a very well-read person, given the number of stories and mythologies that have inspired the deep lore of Dark Souls.
Greek and Japanese mythology are two of the biggest inspirations in this regard. Along with this, Miyazaki also took influence from French existentialism and the works of proto-existentialist philosophers, with Friedrich Nietzsche perhaps being the most notable example in this regard.
2 Various Locations In Dark Souls Are Inspired By The Design Of Real-Life Locations
Miyazaki also didn't shy away from designing areas in the game that were inspired by real-life locations.
The most notable example in this regard is undoubtedly the legendary Anor Londo, which was inspired by the architecture in the Château de Chambord and the Milan Cathedral as well.
1 Miyazaki Became The Company President After Dark Souls Became A Massive Success
Dark Souls was a resounding success for From Software, turning them from a relatively unknown organization into one of the biggest gaming companies of all time.
So, it was only a given that Miyazaki would be in line for a promotion, and that was exactly the case as this genius was promoted to become the company's president.