who is hidetaka miyazaki deep dive by the thumb wars

Who is Hidetaka Miyazaki? A Spotlight on the Soulsborne Maestro

Who is Hidetaka Miyazaki? That’s the question we’re here to answer, ultimately. Somewhat of an unwilling rockstar in the gaming industry over recent years, to many, he seemingly came out of nowhere, but as you’ll see when you read on, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Years of toil, hard work, setbacks, and rejection followed the man as he worked to become who we know today. It sounds a lot like one of his Soulsborne games, doesn’t it?

Hidetaka Miyazaki’s Early Days

Now considered one of the gaming industry’s most influential figures, Hidetaka Miyazaki started in a very different place to many. There wasn’t an early adoption of games like Todd Howard, or a start in voice acting like Abubakar Salim, no, Hidetaka Miyazaki’s early years were spent doing a social science degree, and then taking a job as an account manager for the Oracle Corporation, in an attempt to pay his sister’s tuition fees.

That all changed when a friend introduced him to Ico, the PS2 action-adventure game in 2001. This one game was enough to change Hidetaka Miyazaki’s life forever, and without realizing it at the time, also the gaming industry. On the subject of Ico, Hidetaka Miyazaki said in 2021, “I’m not exaggerating when I say it was the game that changed my life, and I’m proud that it was Ico and it was Fumito Ueda’s game.”

demon souls artwork showcasing the hero about to enter battle, but who is hidetaka miyazaki?
Demon’s Souls was the first of many ‘masterpieces’ from Hidetaka Miyazaki. Image Credits: FromSoft

Hidetaka Miyazaki pivoted pretty hard, applying for multiple game developer positions, but due to his lack of experience, mostly came up empty-handed. However, FromSoftware was willing to take a chance, and put him to work on Armored Core: Last Raven.

The big break came two years after this, in 2006, when he was handed the reins of a failing game at FromSoftware, which would eventually become Demon’s Souls, the progenitor of the Soulsborne franchise. Being propelled to such a lofty position so quickly surprisingly didn’t worry him, with him remembering of the time, “I figured if I could find a way to take control of the game, I could turn it into anything I wanted. Best of all, if my ideas failed, nobody would care – it was already a failure.”

Demon’s Souls was by no stretch an instant success, but ended up becoming a cult classic within months as new publishers appeared, willing to ignore the lackluster performance in Japan, and published it overseas, where it quickly became ‘the game to beat’, and the rest is history.

What is Hidetaka Miyazaki known for?

As already alluded to, Hidetaka Miyazaki is the man responsible for inventing an entirely new genre in the gaming scene, something that very few can say. Thanks to his unique vision, we now have the Dark Souls franchise, Bloodborne, Sekiro, Elden Ring, and a smattering of DLCs across them, as well as some other ‘smaller’ work.

Miyazaki is famously a very private person and has been vocal about his dislike of the spotlight the creation and success of this new genre has brought him, however, he hasn’t shied away from the responsibility of what this means, with him overseeing every Soulsborne project as the Game Director thus far. The only exception to that would be Dark Souls in 2014, where he was ‘only’ a supervisor.

YearTitleRole
2005Armored Core: Last RavenPlanner
2006Armored Core 4Director
2008Armored Core: For AnswerDirector
2009Demon’s SoulsDirector
2011Dark SoulsDirector/Producer
2014Dark Souls IISupervisor
2015BloodborneDirector
2016Dark Souls IIIDirector
2018DéracinéDirector
2019Sekiro: Shadows Die TwiceDirector
2022Elden RingDirector

His most recent work to drop was the highly anticipated expansion for Elden RingShadow of the Erdtree – which dropped to near-universal acclaim in June 2024, with many comparing it to entire standalone games, let alone other expansions and DLCs. With the depth the expansion brought, both in lore and gameplay, it seemingly was worth the two-year wait players had, and increased excitement for the future work of FromSoft and Miyazaki specifically.

As of 2014, he’s spending his time between being FromSoft’s president (an unprecedented 10 year rise to the top) and directing the various games the studio puts out, however, he spoke about this and admitted his time splitting his attention may be coming to an end sooner than we’d like, “Yes, I think it’s very likely that we’ll see new directors going forward”.

Design Choices, Influences, and Philosophies

Hidetaka Miyazaki’s design philosophies started way back when he was a child, an avid reader desperate to take in all the information he could. From borrowing English books from his local library to tabletop games like Dungeons & Dragons, his fantasy fixation started then and continues to bleed through into his work today.

Due to language barriers, he didn’t understand a great deal of what he was reading in those books, instead making up stories of his own making and filling the gaps with the aid of the pictures and illustrations. This couldn’t be a clearer precursor to his love of obfuscated storytelling, and his belief and love for giving players the tools and opportunities to create their own stories or to seek out his.

And that’s the first pillar of Miyazaki’s work. He doesn’t force his story on players, instead allowing them to find it via dialogue, collectibles, hidden documents, and piecing it together for themselves, as opposed to a strict, linear narrative most games operate with.

elden ring hero fighting a knight and winning but who is hidetaka miyazaki?
Elden Ring is the culmination of Miyazaki’s bravest ideas in game design. Image Credits: FromSoft

The second is perhaps the most famous, if not misconstrued by many. The difficulty of the Soulsborne franchise is infamous, with it turning off many players based on reputation alone. However Miyazaki has regularly commented that the difficulty isn’t for the sake of it, but in fact to mirror one of life’s hardest lessons; to overcome tremendous odds you must get up, try again, and not give up. Add to that the satisfaction of finally overcoming those difficulties, and you have a poignant message from the man himself. If you’re wondering ‘Who is Hidetaka Miyazaki?’, then that should be your first answer.

Hands-on doesn’t quite cover the man and his work ethic, with him usually handling the creative load of a project – story, dialogue, and text, at least – and then requiring his team to get smaller things like characters, bosses, NPCs, and level/area designs all signed off, before being included in the final product. This level of micro-managing may sound like overkill to many, but it’s arguably a large reason behind the success of the games under his control. One solitary vision, no conflating ideas or designs.

Career Highlights

Hidetaka Miyazaki’s best moments have come as a surprise to many, probably including himself. He’s always said he’s not a fan of the fame his success and genius have resulted in for him, but his accolades need to be celebrated all the same. Not only a pivotal character in the gaming landscape of the 10s and 20s, for players, but he’s also lauded by his peers too. Notable highlights include:

  • Selling a huge 7.46 million units for Bloodborne, despite the game being delayed for over a month at late notice. Originally set to launch on February 6th, 2015, it was delayed to March 24th, 2015 in North America, March 25th, 2015 in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, March 26th, 2015 in Japan, and finally March 27th, 2016 in the UK and Ireland.
  • Rescuing the Armored Core franchise from certain obscurity, as his first full project no less. It was this that forced FromSoft to entrust him with Dark Souls, and the rest is history.
  • 25million (and counting) sales of Elden Ring, with the expansion Shadow of the Erdtree not only garnering rave reviews and huge sales but also making it to the top five in The Game Awards‘ Player’s Choice Awards – a first for an expansion.
  • Collaborating with George RR Martin, the writer and creator of Game of Thrones during the creation of Elden Ring.
  • Becoming President of FromSoft. An unlikely, near impossible ten-year rise from designer to President of the only company that’d give him a chance is somewhat of a tale all on its own.
  • Creating a new genre – he may never agree, but it’s undeniable he has crafted a genre of game that polarizes those who play it and managed huge financial and creative success at the same time.

At the time of writing, this is only a snapshot of his accolades, but it’s likely to continue on for many years to come.

Potential Future

After the release of Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, the future of FromSoft and Hidetaka Miyazaki is something of a mystery. He’s confirmed that there won’t be a second expansion to Elden Ring, so that prompts the question as to what we’re getting next. After The Game Awards 2024 reveal of Elden Ring Nightreign, we at least know one project that FromSoft has been working on.

It could be a completely new IP, as has been the case with four of his last five projects, the exception being Dark Souls III in 2016. However, the financial draw to a sequel to Elden Ring may be too much for the shareholders of FromSoft to allow Miyazaki to pass up, considering the success (25 million copies sold, and counting so far) and clear demand for more of the world.

bloodborne hero winning in a fight against a monster but who is hidetaka miyazaki?
Bloodborne is still highly thought of by fans and critics alike, all these years later. Image Credits: FromSoft

Recent news of Sony’s potential purchase of Kadokawa, the media conglomerate powerhouse behind FromSoft means a potential return to Bloodborne may be on the cards in the future as well, albeit a long way down the line when the deal is closed. Legal reasoning and IP ownership have put a hold on till now, with Sony owning the Bloodborne IP, but this would be put to a thankful end. Whilst Sony didn’t outright buy Kadokawa in the end, they did buy a larger chunk of shares, so it may still prove fruitful for the fans!

So, Who is Hidetaka Miyazaki?

Who is Hidetaka Miyazaki? A man who cares about the finest details, and the biggest worlds, giving players the story they want, and dedicated to transforming them in his own, unique way. Who is Hidetaka Miyazaki? A man who’s created a genre in gaming that couldn’t be more polarising, and yet it has seemingly constant imitators, from Black Myth: Wukong to Lies of P and far beyond, the genre is blossoming and changing constantly. Who is Hidetaka Miyazaki? An innovator. An auteur of the gaming industry. Right there in the pantheon of gaming greats.

If your wonder of the gaming industry’s giants doesn’t end with Hidetaka Miyazaki, why not check out our exclusive ‘Who is…’ look on Todd Howard?

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