Dark Souls Could Reach New Platforms

When you think of a punishing game, Dark Souls will probably cross your mind. The dark fantasy RPG is known for its extreme difficulty but also completely fair gameplay, and developers From Software have said that there is a still lot more to come. R&D Masanori Takeuchi and executive producer Eiichi Nakajima spoke about the possibilities and opportunities present for future titles.

Speaking at GDC 2012 last week, Takeuchi said that the end of the series is still very far away.

“Of course, it’s not over yet. You have to go back to our roots, which is King’s Field. We’ve made many games in that series. We’ve always been enamored by dark fantasy action RPGs. That’s just been our core DNA and I think we’ll continue to utilize that.”

New platforms for the series were also discussed, with smartphones, the 3DS and Vita all coming up in the conversation.

“We know what butters our bread, obviously it’s consumer games. That’s where we see some of our key strengths. That being said, as developers, we like to do new things and new challenges will help us mature and grow as a developer. Smart phones and tablets are an interesting challenge for us.”

“If we do go down that path, it’s not going to be what you see on the market today, [which are] more watered down, less ‘core’ experiences. We like to make games for core gamers, so if we take that approach, it’s going to be a core experience on a tablet, something that gamers are going to love. If you look at the install base of the two different types — 3DS and PS Vita versus smart phone and tablets — they’re incredibly different. For us, trying to find a way to appeal our content, the sort of games that we’re good at, to a new audience is going to be a challenge.”

Finally, the pair addressed the topic of a PC release of the game, saying that they were fully aware of the huge demand, but that the decision had been left up to the publisher, Namco Bandi. But some new platforms for one of the toughest RPG experiences ever does sound like something highly interesting. Dark Souls on the Vita? Now that’s something I’d buy into.