How Elden Ring Nightreign Was Born Out of a Decade-Long Dream for a Fromsoft Combat Designer

OVERVIEW

• Nightreign began as Junya Ishizaki’s concept during Dark Souls 3, and was heavily inspired by Elden Ring’s success.
• Three-player cooperative play, shifting settings, and relic-based progression over brief sessions are all features of the game.
• Nightreign, which opens this week on May 30, will also be Ishizaki’s directorial debut.

Elden Ring: Nightreign, set to be released on May 30, 2025, represents FromSoftware’s continued emphasis on cooperative gaming. This is because the game’s concept was developed over a decade ago. Junya Ishizaki, a combat and level designer at FromSoftware, had the idea for Nightreign while working on Dark Souls III.

But do you know why the game was finally created? This is due to Elden Ring‘s success. Ishizaki credited the inspiration for Nightreign to the Game of the Year-winning open-world game. And now, the roguelike co-op game is set to be one of FromSoft’s most ambitious releases.

Elden Ring Nightreign was a long-awaited FromSoft release.

I had this very vague image of the type of game I wanted to make while at the company, and I believe I had these very fragmented ideas and concepts going even during the development of Dark Souls 3.

In a recent interview with GamesRadar, Ishizaki described it as a “very vague image” at the time, consisting of thoughts and themes rather than a concrete plan. The success and scale of Elden Ring has led to the realization of this project. The open-world hit’s diverse builds, enemies, and weapons provided him with the necessary push.

Ishizaki’s directorial debut, Nightreign, has earned him praise within FromSoftware. Hidetaka Miyazaki, the studio’s president, encouraged Ishizaki to take the lead on the project, recognizing the strength of his concept and longstanding design sensibilities. Ishizaki originally had no intention of directing, but now says he would “absolutely” consider doing so.

Elden Ring’s full production helped solidify ideas and shape them in my mind. The Elden Ring world offers a diverse range of enemies, weapons, and player builds, making it an ideal place to explore and develop these concepts.

This is where the initial ideas for Elden Ring Nightreign emerged. Nightreign, unlike Elden Ring, is a focused, roguelike-style cooperative RPG. It centers on expeditions to the mysterious region of Limveld, where players take control of one of eight Nightfarers (classes). It may look like its predecessor, but it isn’t.

It looks and feels like a collection of FromSoft titles.

Nightreign’s emphasis on multiplayer gameplay is significant for the studio. While FromSoft has previously experimented with co-op and PvP elements, we have never seen the studio invest so heavily in them as a top priority. Ishizaki, a long-time fan of multiplayer design, wants Nightreign to feel both familiar and daring.

Nightreign draws heavily on the Elden Ring universe, but also has a strong influence from Dark Souls. Ishizaki explains that the game incorporates enemies, costumes, and class archetypes from previous Souls games. This explains why the game is being released so soon after the studio’s most recent projects.

It’s a clever idea because it not only allows other directors at FromSoft to express their creativity, but it also reduces work for the developers due to the existing data.