Miyazaki advocates for creative freedom at FromSoftware

Renowned director Hidetaka Miyazaki chose to break his usual reserved stance to publicly address the corporate conflicts surrounding Kadokawa, the conglomerate overseeing FromSoftware. The creator of Elden Ring expressed his views during a sensitive period, prompted by pressure from the fund manager Oasis Management, a key shareholder of the group. The investment fund is pushing for significant changes in the company's governance and business strategy, arguing that the Japanese studio could be financially leveraged even more following the massive success of its recent releases.

This pursuit of short-term profits by shareholders is often the first step towards undermining the identity of established studios, and the director's resistance to this outside interference is a necessary stance.

“I am monitoring the situation, but FromSoftware’s primary concern remains providing an environment where developers can focus on creating new games,” stated the executive in a remark reported by the Japanese outlet Denfaminico.

Despite the chaos stirring the headquarters' offices, the development work at the desks appears to proceed without disruptions. The studio seized the chance to reassure the community by confirming that multiple projects are progressing smoothly behind the scenes, including both intellectual properties kept under strict secrecy and publicly known titles. A highlight of this schedule is The Duskbloods, an exclusive project for the Nintendo Switch 2, which will undergo closed testing phases before its planned launch in 2026.

The leadership insists on underlining that shielding the creative teams is the key driving force behind the excellence observed in productions like Armored Core VI and the recent Elden Ring Nightreign. The director acknowledged that there are always structural edges that need refinement within the company’s internal routine, yet he asserted that artistic autonomy remains non-negotiable.

Turning a meticulous and artisanal development studio into an industrial assembly line merely to satisfy investment fund spreadsheets would be a tragic mistake. Kadokawa’s insistence on rebuffing Oasis Management’s critiques and safeguarding the current management model brings temporary relief to gamers, indicating that the developer’s artistic integrity, for the time being, remains unscathed in the eyes of the financial market.