FromSoftware, the Studio Behind Dark Souls, Is Making a Competitive Vampire Game for Switch 2

FromSoftware, the studio behind Dark Souls and Elden Ring, has shown the first playable version of The Duskbloods, a game coming exclusively to Nintendo's Switch 2 console. The game puts eight players in the roles of vampiric characters called the Bloodsworn in a dark fantasy setting that spans multiple time periods. The Verge got to try the game at FromSoftware's offices in Tokyo, and the result is a studio known for solo adventures trying its hand at competitive multiplayer. The Verge

The game is built around a point system called "virtue." Players earn virtue points in several ways: collecting items, killing enemies, defeating bosses, exploring the map, defeating other players at certain locations, or making pledges at altars. Each match is split into four phases. At the end of each phase, players who do not have enough virtue points are removed from the game through a mechanic called "the culling." The Verge

This setup is similar to battle royale games like Fortnite or PUBG, where the number of players shrinks over time. But instead of a shrinking map forcing players together, The Duskbloods uses the virtue point system to decide who stays and who goes. A player who focuses on exploration or altar pledges rather than fighting can potentially survive a culling that eliminates a more aggressive player who earned fewer points.

Nintendo has opened applications for a global network test, which is scheduled to run later in August. Nintendo's store pages list the game as a 2026 release, and American English is among the supported languages. Nintendo

The decision to make the game exclusive to the Switch 2 is notable. FromSoftware's most recent titles, including Elden Ring, were released on multiple platforms, with PC as a primary target. By building a new multiplayer game exclusively for Nintendo's hardware, FromSoftware is placing its combat design inside Nintendo's online system and player community rather than Steam's or Sony's. Whether that choice affects how the game runs, how matches are scaled, or how the game feels to play is something the network test should begin to answer.

For a developer whose past multiplayer features involved players briefly invading each other's games within a mostly single-player experience, a structured eight-player competitive format with round-based elimination is a real departure. In Dark Souls, player-versus-player combat was tucked inside a solo adventure. The Duskbloods flips that relationship, making competitive multiplayer the main activity and using FromSoftware's combat style as what sets it apart from other multiplayer elimination games.

The variety in the virtue system is the detail that stands out. Six different activities can earn points, spread across fighting, exploring, and ritual actions at altars. That suggests the game is designed to let different types of players find their own path in a match, rather than pushing everyone toward a single best strategy. Whether that balance holds up across different skill levels, and whether the elimination thresholds create enough tension to keep players coming back, are questions the network test is meant to put to the test. For now, FromSoftware is asking players to apply, and the answers will start arriving before the month is out.