More Players Applied for The Duskbloods Network Test Than Elden Ring Nightreign's, FromSoftware Says
More players signed up to test The Duskbloods — an upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive — than applied for the recent network test of Elden Ring Nightreign, despite The Duskbloods being locked to a single platform.
FromSoftware producer Yasuhiro Kitao revealed the application figures during a livestream hosted by the Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu. "We were really surprised," Kitao said of the numbers, according to VGC. The comparison is notable because Elden Ring Nightreign, a standalone spin-off of the studio's best-selling Elden Ring, is available across multiple platforms — PlayStation, Xbox and PC — while The Duskbloods is a Switch 2 exclusive.
For context: a network test is a limited-time stress test in which a developer invites players to try an online game's servers before launch, surfacing problems under real-world load. The Duskbloods is described by FromSoftware as a PvPvE title — a format where players fight both each other and computer-controlled enemies — with online multiplayer at its core. Up to eight players, called Bloodsworn, compete for supremacy in a single match.
The test was scheduled to begin on 21 August. Many players who logged in were instead met with an error message: "Failed to log in to The Duskbloods game server. Select OK to attempt to log in again." FromSoftware cut the first session short, citing server errors, and posted an apology on its official social media accounts. The studio said it would announce future test schedules at a later date.
The game is being published by Nintendo, which handled global applications through its support pages. Applicants were required to link a Nintendo Account and confirm their country or region setting to be considered. FromSoftware has directed overseas enquiries about the network test to Nintendo's regional support pages.
First announced in April 2025 via a FromSoftware press release, The Duskbloods is one of the studio's first projects built specifically for Nintendo's Switch 2, the successor console released in 2025.
What makes the application figures stand out is the platform question. A game exclusive to one console reaching more test applicants than a multi-platform title from the same studio is unusual. Switch 2's install base is younger than that of PlayStation or Xbox, and Elden Ring is among the best-selling games of the past decade — so its spin-off carried a built-in audience across every major platform.
Whether that interest translates to sales at launch remains an open question. For now, it signals that a Switch 2 exclusive from FromSoftware can generate demand on its own terms — enough to fill a test the servers were not ready to hold.
