We played The Duskbloods, the Switch 2’s wildest new exclusive

Nintendo has teamed up with Dark Souls and Elden Ring creator FromSoftware on The Duskbloods, a gothic vampire-themed multiplayer exclusive for the Switch 2. Early hands-on impressions suggest the hardcore, challenging title could become a landmark release for the new console.

Nintendo is venturing well outside its family-friendly comfort zone with The Duskbloods, a new Switch 2 exclusive developed in partnership with FromSoftware — the studio celebrated for notoriously demanding action games like Elden Ring and Dark Souls. The game drops players into a dark, gothic setting centered on vampire lore, with a focus on multiplayer combat that feels deliberately uncompromising.

A journalist who spent several hours with the game at FromSoftware's Tokyo headquarters came away genuinely impressed, describing the experience as potentially one of the most significant releases in the Switch 2's lineup. This collaboration represents a meaningful strategic shift for Nintendo, which has historically relied on its own first-party franchises to drive hardware sales — a formula that, while proven, leaves certain audiences underserved.

Nintendo has built its reputation on accessible, broadly appealing games — think Mario, Zelda, and Animal Crossing — so its decision to co-publish a dark, hardcore vampire action game with FromSoftware signals a deliberate effort to expand the Switch 2's appeal beyond its traditional audience.

The Duskbloods is set in a brooding gothic world and centers on multiplayer gameplay, a combination that feels distinctly out of step with Nintendo's usual output. FromSoftware, best known for crafting punishing yet rewarding experiences in titles like Elden Ring, Bloodborne, and the Dark Souls series, brings a very specific design philosophy to the project — one that demands patience, skill, and repeated failure from players.

A hands-on preview conducted at FromSoftware's offices in Tokyo gave one reporter several hours with the game, and the takeaway was broadly enthusiastic. The gothic atmosphere was described as fully realized, and the core gameplay loop felt well-suited to the Switch 2's capabilities. The multiplayer structure appears to be central rather than an afterthought, suggesting this isn't simply a FromSoftware single-player game bolted onto Nintendo's platform.

Why it matters: Nintendo consoles have historically succeeded or failed largely on the strength of Nintendo's own software. Third-party exclusives have rarely moved the needle in a meaningful way. If The Duskbloods lands well with players, it could signal a new chapter in how Nintendo approaches its platform strategy — actively recruiting prestigious external studios to fill demographic gaps that first-party titles don't address. That would be a notable evolution for a company that has long kept its hardware ecosystem tightly controlled.

The partnership also benefits FromSoftware, giving the studio access to Nintendo's enormous install base and a platform to reach players who might never have engaged with its notoriously demanding catalog before. Whether those players will embrace the difficulty curve remains an open question, but the early signs suggest The Duskbloods is the real deal — not a watered-down collaboration, but a genuine FromSoftware experience wearing Nintendo's publishing badge.