FromSoftware delays The Duskbloods to 2027 to fine-tune its rules and balance

Not this year. FromSoftware has pushed The Duskbloods, its Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive, from 2026 to 2027. The studio posted the news on X on Thursday at 10 a.m. ET, and a notice on the official site confirms the change. There’s no specific date yet.

Why it slipped

In FromSoftware’s statement, as quoted in English by Nintendo Life, the studio says development “is at the final adjustment stage” and that the network test showed “active interest in the core concepts of the game, including combat, strategic depth, and player expression.” The extra time is meant for “final adjustments to game rules and balancing.” It also apologized to players who have been waiting.

So the reason given is polish, not a rebuild. FromSoftware is specifically talking about rules and balance, which is exactly what you’d expect to need tuning in a competitive game.

How we got here

FromSoftware announced The Duskbloods in April 2025 as a 2026 release, published by Nintendo and FromSoftware. It’s a PvPvE multiplayer action game where up to eight players fight each other and tough enemies as the “Bloodsworn,” people with special blood that makes them stronger than human. Hidetaka Miyazaki is directing. He told Nintendo’s Creator’s Voice the project started small as a Switch game before Nintendo brought up Switch 2, which let the team lean harder into the online side.

The closed network test ran August 21–24, and players had to be picked by lottery and subscribe to Nintendo Switch Online (Famitsu). Nintendo Life says the first test sessions were rough, with frequent crashes and many players unable to get in, but things got better in later sessions. Gematsu also reported the 2027 move.

What to watch

The next things to look for are a specific 2027 date and any word on another test. FromSoftware hasn’t announced either yet.

PPR take: With only two months left in 2026, no date announced and not much said publicly since the August test, this one wasn’t a huge shock. For a multiplayer game that lives or dies on balance, I’d much rather FromSoftware take the extra time than ship it early. Eight-player PvPvE is new ground for the studio, and a rocky first network test is exactly what these tests are for. The good news is that FromSoftware calls this the “final adjustment stage.” If that holds up, a 2027 date shouldn’t be too far off.