FromSoftware didn't initially intend to make Elden Ring: Nightreign a roguelike

Eventually, the team decided the formula would work best after testing the gameplay and structure.

Elden Ring: Nightreign is showing a different side of FromSoftware, one that will continue to be explored in 2026's The Duskbloods. That being a side focused on multiplayer compared with the studio's recent past of single-player RPG experiences.

Speaking with GamesRadar, Nightreign director Junya Ishizaki revealed that while the plan was for the game to be multiplayer, it didn't always have the roguelike mould. "We didn't start off by saying, 'let's aim to build a roguelike,' or something, a game that features a lot of random elements. It's not necessarily a jumping off point for the game design, is what I'm trying to say," he said. "It was more the result of a lot of feeling out the gameplay and the structure, and figuring out what the best solution to a certain problem was or what made sense in terms of where that particular gameplay element was headed at the time."

"So these are, again, quite serendipitous elements, but they are more answers or solutions to problems than actual game design templates or axes, if you will," Ishizaki continued.

It might not have been planned to be a roguelike, but so far it seems that the formula has found Elden Ring: Nightreign a great deal of success. It might not be the direct Elden Ring sequel some fans had hoped for, but it's certainly proving to be a different experience.