FromSoftware president and frequent director Hidetaka Miyazaki has joked that he’s not too great at the former job responsibility because “about 95%” of his time goes toward actually making the games.
Miyazaki is revered for directing the studio’s bleak, often crushing, but ultimately hopeful games, and after the cult successes of Demon’s Souls, Dark Souls, and Bloodborne, he was also appointed to a presidential role within the Japanese game developer – which was previously best known for mech-explodathon series Armored Core and experimental offshoots like Enchanted Arms, the odd 2006 JRPG that me and seven other people love.
After the towering success of Elden Ring, however, FromSoftware is no longer a mid-sized developer of cult hits. The open-worlder has shifted over 25 million copies and its imposing difficulty plus accessible world design has enshrined it into the wider pop culture conversation. But, despite the studio exploding in popularity, Miyazaki remains just as committed to game development as ever.
“There is always going to be this enjoyment and satisfaction I get out of making games, regardless of what my title or position in the company is,” Miyazaki says in an interview with the Guardian. “I enjoy helping grow and nurture the younger directors whom I see guiding the company in the next stage. But sitting in a management office all day isn’t my style. I really get my hands dirty and continue to make games together, through which I hope I can communicate my process to a different generation of talent. I have had the title of president for almost 10 years now, but I would say about 95% of what I do at the company and how I spend my time is directed towards making games and directing games. Using that ratio, you could say I only actually have about six months experience as an executive!”