It's hard to imagine what FromSoft was like before the Dark Souls games came out; it seems nowadays when someone mentions the developer, everyone immediately starts picturing its palpable challenges, gritty atmosphere, elements of satisfaction, and of course, Hidetaka Miyazaki. While FromSoftware is now fully associated with difficult action games such as Dark Souls and Bloodborne, the development studio has a very long history before the release of its very first Souls game.
FromSoftware deserves all the respect it can get. Every single game to come out of the studio since Demon's Souls have been met with a positive response and critical acclaim. But, similar to how their games should be played, the studio once had to fail time and again before they finally achieved success.
Updated April 22, 2022 by Michael Llewellyn: Thanks to the success of the Soulsborne franchises and the recent hit Elden Ring, FromSoftware Studios has become of the most famous game developers in the world. This wasn't always the case, however, as many of their titles either flew under the radar or appealed to a niche audience thanks to its Armored Core and King's Field series.
The company's history is an interesting one with so many elements coming together to create franchises that are usually game of the year contenders with 2022's Elden Ring being no exception. This list has been updated to include more facts and information that some fans may be unaware of about the studio's development history.
13 The Company Was Born Out Of A Motorcycle Crash
FromSoft had a rather bizarre, albeit interesting foundation. In 1986, a man named Naotoshi Zin experienced a rather awful motorcycle accident. For this unfortunate incident, he received a sizable paycheck from his insurance company. Bedridden and incapacitated, Mr. Naotoshi started contemplating what he would spend the insurance money on. From there, lo and behold, FromSoftware was born.
It's almost humorous to consider that every single phenomenal game that came out of FromSoft, we can owe to that terrible motorcycle incident. Whatever the case, the gaming community is very fortunate that Naotashi Zin decided to start FromSoft from the insurance money he received instead of anything else.
12 The Company Started As An Office Productivity Software Developer
Before FromSoft started releasing incredibly difficult games to the market, they had a very different business model. The company began as an office productivity and business development software developer. Founded by Naotoshi Zin in 1986, they made various programs for a wide array of business and commercial industries. When an economic upset struck Japan during the early 1990s, the company decided it would be wise to venture into a different industry. That's when they decided to dive into the video game industry.
There was only one problem, though, when the company decided to shift towards gaming. They didn't like the capabilities of the consoles at the time and their reliance on cartridges. So, they waited it out until Sony announced the creation of the very first PlayStation console.
11 FromSoft Made The First RPG To Come Out For The PlayStation
FromSoft's first outing as a video game development company was fairly decent. Overseen by Naotoshi Zin, King's Field was the very first game the studio developed, and, although it received mixed reviews from critics, it was still fairly impressive for its time, especially considering it was the studio's very first video game.
King's Field was a first-person RPG and was released in December 1994, just 13 days after the PS1 was released. Initially planned to be released on PC, the studio decided to pair the game with the PlayStation instead, as it was, at the time, the most advanced readily-accessible piece of gaming hardware on the market. When it was released on the PS1, it became the very first RPG to ever be released for the console.
10 They Were Initially Known For Their Mech Shooters
After a triad of King's Field games, the studio decided to create something new. Instead of making another game that features a dark and gritty atmosphere, they decided to come up with something a little bit more futuristic, and thus, the game Armored Core was born.
This is the game that initially made FromSoft a recognizable name in the video game industry. The game is a third-person mech shooter that features customization that matches that of more popular RPG titles and its fast-paced combat. The game was well-received by fans and critics alike, and it went on to spawn multiple sequels and spin-offs.
9 FromSoft Was Diverse As A Video Game Studio
Before FromSoft released Demon's Souls back in 2009, the studio has already established a diverse catalog of games. King's Field was a first-person dungeon RPG. Armored Core was a third-person mech shooter. After that, FromSoft released a ton of games that vary in genre and atmosphere.
While many of their games still borrow from King's Field in terms of gameplay and atmosphere, other titles are a little bit more unique. Echo Night, released in 1998, was a first-person horror adventure game. Spriggan, a video game adapted from a Japanese manga, was very akin to now-recognizable hack-and-slash adventure games such as Devil May Cry and Ninja Gaiden. Then, perhaps one of the most out-there games the company has ever made, The Adventures of Cookie & Cream was a lighthearted third-person platformer.
8 FromSoft Made Launch Titles For The PS1 And PS2
Considering how the company waited for the arrival of the PlayStation before they finally started making games, it should come as no surprise that FromSoft does have a very good relationship with Sony. Not only did the company make a launch title for the PS1 in the form of King's Field, but it also went on to create and release the Eternal Ring in March of 2000.
Eternal Ring was FromSoft's 12th game and a PS2 launch title. The game is a first-person action RPG and was received with mixed reviews. It was praised for its engaging combat mechanics and decent narrative but was criticized for being too similar to FromSoft's first game. The game would become a stepping stone and a learning point for the developer.
7 Enchanted Arms Was The First JRPG On The Xbox 360
In addition to releasing the first RPG on the PS1 and making launch titles for the PS2, FromSoftware was the first studio to release a proper JRPG on the Xbox 360. During the 360's lifecycle, Microsoft wanted its machine to appeal to Japanese gamers and JRPG fans in the West. As result, the machine had some of the best but overlooked JRPGs of a generation.
These games included Blue Dragon, Lost Odyssey, and Tales of Vesperia. However, the first game in Microsoft's JRPG strategy was FromSoft's criminally underrated and overlooked Enchanted Arms. The game was a timed exclusive and eventually released on the PS3. Unfortunately, it still went under the radar. It was criticized for its voice acting and the stereotypical cast of characters. Enchanted Arms stands the test of time, however, with its combination of strategic turn-based combat and engaging storyline.
6 Its Current Soulsborne Games Takes Various Elements From Its Previous IPs
The titles that skyrocketed FromSoft's status as a top-tier video game developer are their Souls games. Demon's Souls, Dark Souls 1-3, Bloodborne, and Sekiro are all incredibly well-received games, many of them considered to be some of the best video games of all time. However, FromSoft didn't just make these games out of nothing; a lot of the elements on these games are taken from their less successful projects.
Dark Soul's dark and gritty elements can be traced back to FromSoft's very first title. The studio also learned how to incorporate horror elements with Echo Night. They became well-versed with RPG games, even before they started developing Demon's Souls. A lot of the voice acting and use of music in their previous RPG games were very mixed, to say the least. It's fair to say they've learned from that now.
5 Hidetaka Miyazaki Was Inspired To Make Games After Playing Ico
Hidetaka Miyazaki is a very recognizable name in the video game industry today. Yet, considering how incredible the games he ended up making were it's fascinating to think that there was a time when the man behind Dark Souls was so far removed from the video game industry. After he earned a degree in Social Science at Keio University, he started working as an account manager in a tech company. It wasn't until a friend of his introduced him to Ico that he started considering a career in the game industry.
This is when Miyazaki finally decided to work on video games and started applying at different video game development companies until he finally arrived at FromSoft.
4 Demon's Souls Was A "Failed Project"
When Hidetaka Miyazaki was employed by FromSoftware, he initially started as a game planner, coder, and designer, mainly working on the Armored Core franchise. After getting wind of a supposed "failed" project that the studio was working on, Miyazaki was very keen on taking control of the game so he could finally make something he wanted to make. He stated that it wouldn't matter how the game would turn out, as everybody already thought it was going to be a failure, and he had nothing to lose and everything to gain.
When it was released, as expected, the game didn't perform very well financially. It wasn't even given the chance to be released on the Western market. It wasn't until months later that the game started getting more traction and Atlus USA decided to gain the rights to release the game on the Western market. The rest, as they say, is history.
3 Getting Stuck In Snow Inspired The Souls Multiplayer Mechanics
The multiplayer aspect of the Souls franchise is one of the series' most unique features. While Dark Souls is very much a solo experience the optional co-op and invasion mechanics add yet another layer of depth to the dark and lonely universes where FromSoft's games take place.
However, it was the kindness of strangers that inspired the co-op mechanic in Demon's Souls and its successors. The man behind the Souls series, creative director Hidetaka Miyazaki once explained that getting stuck on a hill during a snowstorm was the basis for the co-op mechanics from Demon's Souls to the recent Elden Ring. Miyazaki's car was stuck until the other drivers on the road helped each other by pushing each other up the hill so they could get home.
2 Sekiro Was Originally Conceived As A Successor To Tenchu
The Tenchu series is an action-adventure stealth game set in 16th-century Feudal Japan. The games were originally developed by Acquire and K2 LLC with FromSoftware handling the publication.
FromSoft currently owns the rights to the Tenchu franchise so it would have made sense to create a ninja game based in that universe. Instead, Miyazaki wanted to break away from the restrictions of setting Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice within an already established universe to create something new. The idea paid off as Sekiro remains one of the studio's stand-out titles. The Tenchu influence is still very present with the use of the Sekiro's grappling mechanics and stealth attacks.
1 The Moonlight Greatsword Isn't Exclusive To Souls-Games
While not every single game Hidetaka Miyazaki developed tied in with one another, there's one aspect in all of these games that share one very similar thing: the Moonlight Sword. The thing is, the Moonlight Greatsword didn't make its very first appearance in Dark Souls. The sword itself predates the game immensely. Before it was Ludwig's "true mentor and guiding moonlight" in Bloodborne, this very weapon was present since FromSoft's first game.
It made its first appearance back in 1994 when FromSoft released King's Field. It also made an appearance in every Armored Core game. Later on, it was featured in Otogi, Ninja Blade, and other FromSoft titles. This one recurring aspect that's present in almost every single FromSoft game is such a treasure that players go out of their way to search for an iteration of the Moonlight Greatsword when playing a title from FromSoft.