Miyazaki's Elden Ring Tips for New Director - IGN

When you think of the "Souls" series, Hidetaka Miyazaki—the visionary behind Dark Souls, Sekiro, Bloodborne, and Elden Ring—likely comes to mind. However, Nightreign represents a first for the franchise: directorial leadership passing to Junya Ishizaki. During my visit to FromSoftware's Japanese studio, I sat down with Ishizaki-san to discuss stepping into the director's role, the bold design choices defining Nightreign, and how this Elden Ring spin-off took shape.

Earlier, you mentioned pitching Nightreign to Miyazaki-san for approval. How closely did the final game align with your original vision?

Junya Ishizaki - Director of Elden Ring: Nightreign: The core concept remained intact, but development introduced valuable input from our team—ideas, concerns, and innovations that elevated the project beyond our initial blueprint.

Regarding advice from Miyazaki and other FromSoftware directors, one principle resonated deeply: a director must be uncompromising.

The Closed Network Test provided critical feedback. How did it shape Nightreign's development?

Balancing difficulty was paramount, as always with these games. Observing player behavior and their interactions with Nightreign's new systems—especially its fresh mechanics—proved invaluable for refining onboarding and clarifying gameplay dynamics.

What was your greatest challenge stepping into the director's chair? Did Miyazaki offer guidance?

I approached this role with singular focus—this was my vision, and seeing it through demanded full commitment. The standout lesson? Directors can't afford hesitation. Decisions that might've slipped by previously now required rigorous scrutiny to serve the project's best interests.

Nightreign limits co-op to solo or three-player groups. Why exclude two-player teams?

This oversight emerged during development—we regret the omission. Our core vision centered on three-player co-op balancing. While solo play received extensive attention, accommodating duos fell by the wayside—something we're evaluating for post-launch updates.

How does Nightreign adapt its challenge for solo players?

The gameplay naturally supports solitary play—even in groups, players often operate independently across the map before uniting for boss encounters. Enemy aggression dynamically adjusts to prevent unfair engagements while session parameters scale intelligently.

Solo players face tougher challenges without revival support—no teammates mean no safety net. However, we've implemented discoverable self-revive mechanics to ease pattern-learning curves.

How does Nightreign expand Elden Ring's lore?

Set within Elden Ring's universe, Nightreign introduces the Night Lord—a catastrophic phenomenon disrupting the Lands Between in an alternate timeline. Opposing this force are the Nightfarers, warriors destined to confront this calamity.

Why structure Nightreign's narrative through fragmented character arcs rather than linear storytelling?

The Nightfarers unite against destiny, but each harbors personal motivations and struggles beyond their shared mission. Without character creation, we prioritized depth—giving these predefined heroes rich backstories for players to uncover and connect with.

PVP remains absent despite FromSoftware's history with multiplayer invasions. Why?

Our focus never wavered from co-op PVE. Balancing Nightreign's distinctive character abilities against PVP would've compromised their vision—we prioritized crafting exceptional group experiences above all.

How does balancing Nightreign differ from Elden Ring's approach?

Unlike Elden Ring's expansive solo/PVP balance, we concentrated on optimizing three-player synergy while ensuring solo viability. Bosses like Gladius exemplify this—designed specifically for both party dynamics and lone warriors.

Nightreign's bosses seem noticeably fiercer than Elden Ring's. Was this intentional?

The three-day/night cycle demanded climactic encounters worth their buildup. These battles should feel overwhelming initially, yet surmountable through mastery—striking that balance between structure and challenge defined our approach.

Elden Ring Nightreign - First Screenshots

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Does Nightreign offer meaningful post-game content?

After conquering eight Nightlords, players unlock relic rites and deeper character customization—systems designed to reward continued experimentation without arbitrary limits.

Why choose premium pricing over free-to-play?

While F2P was considered, our resources and ambitions aligned better with a mid-price release—delivering substantial content worthy of investment.

What accomplishment fills you with pride?

Seeing Nightreign's ambitious three-day structure and convergence mechanics realized exactly as envisioned—watching this intricate system come alive through our team's dedication represents everything I hoped to achieve.