We will make the games we believe in, not the games investors demand.
In an industry increasingly shaped by financial caution and franchise repetition, FromSoftware's president has quietly drawn a line — affirming that the studio will continue to pursue creative ambition over investor-mandated safety. The declaration comes as parent company Kadokawa navigates shareholder turbulence, with some investors pressing for sequels and self-publishing strategies that promise more predictable returns. It is a rare moment in modern game development: a studio choosing the harder, less certain path, and saying so plainly.
- Activist investors, emboldened by instability at Kadokawa, are pushing FromSoftware to abandon creative risk in favor of sequels and reliable revenue — a pressure the studio's president has publicly refused.
- The conflict cuts to something fundamental: whether a world-class studio exists to generate quarterly returns or to make games that matter, and who gets to decide.
- FromSoftware's leverage is its own legacy — Elden Ring's cultural dominance and Bloodborne's enduring influence prove that uncompromising design can also be commercially transformative.
- The studio is actively developing unannounced titles, signaling that its next moves will be original works rather than franchise retreads, regardless of what shareholders prefer.
- The outcome is unresolved — if the new projects succeed, the studio's philosophy is vindicated; if they falter, investor pressure will return with sharper teeth.
FromSoftware's president has delivered a clear message to the investors circling his studio: creative independence is not negotiable. The declaration arrives during a period of genuine tension at parent company Kadokawa, where shareholders have been pushing for safer development strategies — more sequels, more predictable revenue, and in some cases, a move toward self-publishing to capture greater profit margins. The studio's leadership rejected this framing entirely.
The stakes are not abstract. Across the broader games industry, publishers have spent years consolidating studios and constraining creative teams in the name of brand consistency and risk reduction. FromSoftware has watched this happen and chosen a different posture — one grounded in what its president calls making 'valuable games,' a phrase that implicitly challenges the assumption that financial safety and creative ambition must be traded against each other.
The studio's track record gives that argument real weight. Elden Ring became a cultural phenomenon precisely because it refused to soften its edges. Bloodborne remains a defining work for an entire generation of players. Neither was a safe bet. Both succeeded because FromSoftware trusted its own vision over market logic.
Now the studio is signaling more of the same. Unannounced projects are in development, and based on the studio's history, they are unlikely to be sequels or franchise extensions. It is a statement of intent directed as much at the industry as at its own investors — a reminder that originality and ambition are still possible, and still worth defending. Whether the market rewards that conviction will determine how long the argument holds.
FromSoftware's president has made it clear: the studio will not be bullied into making safer games. The message came amid pressure from activist investors who, emboldened by turbulence at parent company Kadokawa, have been pushing the developer to prioritize sequels and more predictable revenue streams. Instead, FromSoftware's leadership doubled down on a different vision—one centered on creating what they call "valuable games," a phrase that carries weight in an industry often driven by quarterly earnings and franchise fatigue.
The tension is real. Kadokawa, the Japanese media conglomerate that owns FromSoftware, has been dealing with its own shareholder conflicts. Some investors have gone further, arguing that FromSoftware should self-publish rather than rely on external partners, believing the studio could capture more profit and control its own destiny. These are not idle suggestions. They reflect a fundamental disagreement about what a world-class game studio should prioritize: financial safety or creative ambition.
FromSoftware's president rejected this framing entirely. The studio, he insisted, remains free to make the games it wants to make. This is not a small statement in an industry where creative autonomy is increasingly rare. Major publishers have spent years consolidating studios and imposing creative constraints in the name of brand consistency and risk mitigation. FromSoftware's refusal to follow that playbook—to resist the gravitational pull toward sequels and safer bets—stands out.
The studio's track record gives them leverage. Elden Ring, developed in collaboration with George R.R. Martin, became a cultural phenomenon and commercial juggernaut. Bloodborne remains a touchstone for an entire generation of players. These are not safe games. They are difficult, uncompromising, and utterly distinctive. They succeeded precisely because FromSoftware refused to sand down their edges to appeal to a broader audience.
What makes this moment significant is that FromSoftware is signaling it will continue down this path. The studio has teased unannounced titles in development—projects that, based on the studio's history, will likely be original works rather than sequels or safe iterations on proven formulas. This is a statement of intent. It says: we know what investors want, we understand the pressure, and we are choosing differently.
The broader context matters too. The video game industry has been consolidating for years, with major publishers increasingly risk-averse and focused on franchises that have already proven their commercial viability. In that landscape, a studio willing to bet on original, ambitious work—and backed by leadership willing to say no to investor demands for safer choices—becomes genuinely rare. FromSoftware's stance is not just about one studio's creative freedom. It is a small but meaningful pushback against an industry-wide trend toward homogenization and financial conservatism.
What happens next will depend partly on whether FromSoftware's next original projects succeed commercially. If they do, the studio's argument—that valuable games and financial success are not mutually exclusive—will be vindicated. If they struggle, investors will likely return with renewed demands for sequels and safer bets. For now, though, FromSoftware has drawn a line. The studio will make the games it believes in, not the games shareholders think will sell.
Citações Notáveis
FromSoftware remains free to make the games it wants to make, and will continue to deliver valuable games regardless of investor pressure— FromSoftware president (paraphrased)
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why does it matter that FromSoftware's president said this now, in public, rather than just quietly making the games they want?
Because investor pressure is real and usually works. Studios cave. When a president says publicly that they won't, it's a commitment—to their team, to their players, and to themselves. It makes it harder to reverse course later.
But aren't investors just trying to protect their money? Sequels are safer. That's not irrational.
It's not irrational, but it's a particular kind of thinking. It assumes the only way to make money is to repeat what worked before. FromSoftware's argument is that original, ambitious work can be both creatively fulfilling and commercially successful. Elden Ring proved that.
What if their next original game flops? Does this statement look foolish then?
Possibly. But that's the bet they're making. They're saying: we believe in what we do, and we're willing to stake our reputation on it. That's different from most studios, which hedge their bets.
Is this really about creative freedom, or is it about ego—the president wanting to make the games he wants?
Probably both. But that's not a weakness. The best artists are usually driven by something personal. The question is whether that drive produces work that matters. FromSoftware's track record suggests it does.
What do the unannounced titles tell us?
That they're serious. If they were just talking, they'd be making sequels right now. The fact that they're developing new IP suggests they actually believe what they're saying.
Could Kadokawa override them? Force sequels?
Technically, maybe. But that would be a public betrayal of what the president just said. It would damage the studio's reputation and probably lose key talent. Kadokawa seems to understand that FromSoftware's value lies in its independence.