FromSoftware
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Documents about FromSoftware
Tencent’s Bid to Create the Next FromSoftware and Larian
Tencent is actively shifting its global strategy to cultivate high-quality, genre-defining studios capable of achieving the same long-term success as industry leaders like FromSoftware and Larian.
- Tencent is prioritizing a long-term investment strategy for its international studios, aiming to replicate the success of FromSoftware and Larian by supporting developers as they iterate on specific genres over multiple titles.
- Tencent oversees approximately 20 international studios and provides support for various global investments, with a focus on identifying and fostering high-quality talent capable of becoming category leaders.
- Tencent is advising its studios to maintain smaller, core teams during the early concept and pre-production phases of development, scaling up with internal or outsourced teams only after the creative vision is proven.
June 2026's Top New PC & Console Games
This analysis provides a comprehensive overview of the video game market for June 2026, focusing on sales performance, platform trends, and discovery metrics across PC and console ecosystems.
- Sony will end physical disc production for new PlayStation games in January 2028, impacting third-party publishers and disc rental services, and increasing the importance of Switch as a physical format.
- June 2026 was a quiet month for top-grossing new Steam releases, with only two games exceeding $10 million in revenue compared to six in May 2026, likely due to release shifts around Next Fest and the Summer Sale.
- Meccha Chameleon, a $6 multiplayer game, was the breakout new title in June 2026, selling 11.5 million copies and significantly outperforming other new releases.
World Cup Fever and GTA 6 FAQs
The gaming industry is currently experiencing significant shifts driven by major events and strategic pricing decisions.
- Grand Theft Auto VI (GTA 6) pre-orders have opened with a standard price of $80 ($100 for the Ultimate Edition), and physical copies will be discless, effectively making it digital-only at launch.
- Rockstar opted for an $80 base price for GTA 6 to maximize its audience, recognizing that the primary revenue driver is GTA Online, and a higher price would deter price-sensitive players, especially those migrating from GTA 5.
- The decision to go discless for GTA 6 physical copies aims to eliminate the second-hand market, prevent pre-release leaks, and improve cash flow and forecasting through digital pre-orders.
Tencent May Sell Its Stake in Several Japanese Studios
Tencent is currently reevaluating its investment portfolio within the Japanese gaming market, with reports indicating a potential divestment from several studios.
- Tencent is in talks to divest from several Japanese studios, including Marvelous, as it evaluates the synergy and revenue performance of its portfolio holdings.
- While potentially exiting some investments, Tencent intends to maintain its stakes in PlatinumGames and FromSoftware and remains committed to a long-term presence in the Japanese market.
- Tencent led an $18 million funding round for W4 Games to accelerate the development of corporate solutions for the Godot engine.
Can PlayStation’s Housemarque Repeat the FromSoftware Story?
The Finnish developer Housemarque is currently navigating a strategic transition following its 2021 acquisition by Sony, aiming to evolve from a niche creator of challenging, high-intensity action games into a more prominent fixture within the PlayStation first-party ecosystem.
- Housemarque, a PlayStation first-party studio, released its new IP, Saros, in April 2026. Saros is described as a challenging, uncompromising third-person, bullet hell, action game with roguelite elements, similar to their previous game, Returnal.
- Housemarque aims to emulate FromSoftware's success by building a dedicated fanbase for their niche, hardcore games through continued 'education' of the market, despite not expecting to reach the same scale.
- Housemarque has significantly grown its team from 40-50 employees around the 2017 release of Nex Machina to nearly 120 employees currently, all focused on one game.
Pointless
The closure of Bluepoint Games by Sony in February 2026 marks the end of a studio widely regarded as the industry leader in remakes and remasters.
- Sony announced the closure of Bluepoint Games, effective March 2026, ending the studio's tenure as a PlayStation subsidiary after its 2021 acquisition.
- Bluepoint Games, which employed approximately 70 staff, released no original titles during its four-and-a-half years under Sony ownership, following the cancellation of a live-service project set in the God of War universe in early 2025.
- The studio's final credits include its 2020 PS5 launch remake of Demon's Souls and a support role on Sony Santa Monica’s God of War: Ragnarok.
Life beyond Elden Ring: What’s Next for Bandai Namco Entertainment
This analysis examines the strategic direction of Bandai Namco Entertainment through an interview with CEO and President Nao Udagawa.
- Bandai Namco’s recent commercial success is anchored by FromSoftware titles, with the original Elden Ring exceeding 30 million units sold, the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion reaching 10 million, and the spin-off Elden Ring: Nightreign selling 5 million units.
- Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero has become the third best-selling game in Bandai Namco’s US history, achieving 5 million global sales since its 2024 release.
- CEO Nao Udagawa announced a strategic pivot to expand internal development capabilities to create games based on Bandai Namco’s own intellectual properties, rather than relying primarily on third-party partnerships.
Elden Ring Nightreign Collaborations on Live Streaming
The release of Elden Ring Nightreign serves as a case study in the challenges of transitioning a prestige single-player RPG franchise into a co-op-focused spin-off.
- Elden Ring Nightreign generated 28.8 million hours watched in its first week, which represents only one-third of the viewership achieved by the original Elden Ring during its launch period.
- The game failed to match the hype of the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, which outperformed the spin-off by 40 million hours watched, suggesting the release may have been too close to previous content.
- Co-op gameplay served as a primary driver for engagement, with a single collaboration between streamers Kuzuha, Kanae, and Hayama Marin generating 1.1 million hours watched.
Nintendo Told Me Why Their New System Doesn't Use Achievements
Nintendo’s long-standing exclusion of a platform-wide achievement system, including its absence in the upcoming Switch 2, stems from a fundamental design philosophy that prioritizes player discovery over extrinsic rewards.
- Nintendo has confirmed the Switch 2 will not feature a system-wide achievements platform, maintaining a long-standing design philosophy that prioritizes player exploration and discovery over external reward systems.
- Electronic Arts is laying off 300–400 employees and has canceled development on a Titanfall-themed extraction shooter at Respawn Entertainment.
- Take-Two Interactive has moved the release date of Borderlands 4 forward to September 12, 2025, a rare shift that industry analysts suggest may signal potential delays for other titles like GTA VI or Mafia: The Old Country.
Nintendo Switch 2 Launches June 5 for $450/£396/€470
The Nintendo Switch 2 is scheduled for a global release on June 5, 2025, with a retail price point of $450, £396, or €470.
- The Nintendo Switch 2 is scheduled to launch on June 5, 2025, with a retail price of $450/£396/€470.
- The console features significant hardware upgrades, including 256GB of storage, 4K resolution in docked mode, 3D audio, a larger screen, and an additional USB-C port.
- A new open-world title, 'Mario Kart World,' will serve as the primary launch game, with a 'Donkey Kong Bananza' title following in July 2025.
Souls-likes Dominating on Live Streaming
The Souls-like subgenre has become a dominant force in the gaming industry, characterized by high-difficulty action RPG gameplay, soul-collecting mechanics, and environmental storytelling.
- The number of games tagged as 'Souls-like' on Steam has surged from 55 in 2019 to 375 in 2024, reflecting a significant increase in the label's usage by developers and publishers.
- FromSoftware remains the dominant force in the genre, with Elden Ring generating 210 million hours watched in its first 30 days and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice generating 39 million.
- Most Souls-like titles experience a sharp decline in live-streaming viewership, typically dropping to 1–3% of their debut monthly watch time by the second month.
Sony Reportedly in Talks to Acquire Kadokawa
Sony Group is currently in preliminary discussions regarding the potential acquisition of the Japanese media conglomerate Kadokawa.
- Sony is in preliminary talks to acquire Kadokawa, the parent company of FromSoftware, to expand its entertainment and IP portfolio.
- Kadokawa has officially confirmed receipt of an initial letter of intent from Sony, though no final decision regarding the acquisition has been made.
- Kadokawa currently holds a market capitalization of approximately $2.7 billion.
