Elden Ring Successor The Duskbloods Officially Delayed

For a game that was supposedly going to launch in 2026, The Duskbloods has been awfully quiet about when players will actually get their hands on it. FromSoftware’s Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive was unveiled last year as a gothic, eight-player PvPvE action game, mixing the studio’s notoriously challenging combat with a multiplayer format in which you’re fighting other players as well as the monsters haunting its world.

There was finally a chance to see how it all fit together during August’s closed network test, but that didn’t go entirely according to plan. The first session was canceled early following server trouble, and early impressions suggested some players were still struggling to make sense of its objectives and progression.

The lack of a release date in the following months, especially after September’s Nintendo Direct passed without one, made a 2026 launch look increasingly unlikely. Now, FromSoftware has officially confirmed a delay to 2027, with the developer acknowledging that the network test influenced that delay decision.

FromSoftware has officially confirmed that The Duskbloods will no longer be launching in 2026, with the highly anticipated Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive now scheduled for sometime in 2027. According to the developer, the game is currently in its final stages of development, but feedback from August’s network test prompted the team to spend additional time refining its rules, combat balancing, and overall gameplay experience. No specific release date or window has been provided beyond 2027.

The announcement is another interesting development for a game that’s already proven surprisingly controversial among FromSoftware’s fanbase. Directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki, The Duskbloods takes a dramatically different approach from the studio’s traditional single-player RPGs and follows in the decidedly less-popular Nightreign‘s footsteps, featuring eight-player PvPvE matches where players compete against one another while also battling challenging enemies.

Its gothic atmosphere and supernatural themes immediately drew comparisons to Bloodborne, but its competitive multiplayer focus disappointed fans hoping for another traditional Soulsborne experience.

The game’s Nintendo Switch 2 exclusivity has also been a sticking point, particularly for longtime FromSoftware fans on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC. Miyazaki has previously reassured players that the studio isn’t abandoning single-player and/or multiplatform games, though The Duskbloods is a fairly ambitious experiment for the studio regardless.

Reactions to the delay have been mixed so far, although plenty of players saw it coming. Some have welcomed the decision, arguing that FromSoftware should take whatever time it needs to ensure the game is properly polished, particularly after the technical problems and mixed feedback surrounding August’s network test. Given how heavily The Duskbloods relies on online multiplayer, launching with unstable servers or poorly balanced gameplay would prove disastrous.

Others are understandably devastated by the announcement, especially those who enjoyed the network test and have been eagerly anticipating another opportunity to play. For some fans, the possibility of a 2026 launch was one of the year’s biggest gaming draws, and the prospect of waiting several more months is disappointing.

For now, there’s no indication of when The Duskbloods might get another network test or a more concrete release date. Hopefully, the extra development time will pay off when FromSoftware finally releases its ambitious new multiplayer title next year.