Key Takeaways
- FromSoftware has officially confirmed The Duskbloods has been delayed from 2026 to 2027 — no specific date has been given
- The delay is attributed to final adjustments to game rules and balancing, not technical issues
- The game’s closed network test drew more applicants than the Elden Ring: Nightreign test — despite being a Switch 2 exclusive with a smaller player base
- The first network test session ended abruptly due to severe connectivity issues, which were later resolved in subsequent sessions
- The Duskbloods remains a Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive — no PC, PS5, or Xbox release has been announced
- The game is a PvPvE multiplayer action RPG from the creators of Elden Ring and Dark Souls, blending gothic combat with jetpacks and dinosaurs
It’s the delay nobody wanted but many probably saw coming. FromSoftware has officially confirmed that The Duskbloods — the wildly anticipated Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive that mashes together the gothic horror of Bloodborne, the precision of Sekiro, and the brutal difficulty of Dark Souls, then throws in jetpacks and dinosaurs for good measure — has slipped out of its 2026 launch window and into an unspecified date in 2027.
Why The Duskbloods Has Been Delayed
The announcement came directly from the game’s official Twitter account, and the reasoning was refreshingly straightforward. FromSoftware didn’t blame technical problems or hardware limitations — they cited the need for more time to polish the game’s core systems.
“While development of The Duskbloods is at the final adjustment stage, we have made the decision to move the launch window to 2027,” the studio said. “We apologise to players who have been kindly awaiting the release of this title and thank you for your patience and support.”
A follow-up message added more context: “During the network test, we saw active interest in the core concepts of the game, including combat, strategic depth, and player expression. To further enhance these aspects, we have decided to move the launch, allowing time for final adjustments to game rules and balancing.”
That’s a meaningful distinction. The delay isn’t about fundamental issues — it’s about refinement. FromSoftware clearly feels the bones are strong but wants the game rules and balancing to be in a sharper place before putting it in front of the full public. Given the complexity of a PvPvE multiplayer title with multiple character types and strategic layers, that caution makes sense.
A Delay That Was Starting to Feel Inevitable
If you’ve been following The Duskbloods closely, this delay probably stings but doesn’t come as a total shock. There had been speculation for months that the game might not make its 2026 window. A prospective September release window was suggested by some sources, but that date came and went without any announcement from either Nintendo or FromSoftware. The studio had gone largely silent since August’s network playtests, and the absence of a concrete release date as the year wound down raised obvious concerns.
As recently as late October 2026, the official position from both Nintendo and FromSoftware parent company Kadokawa was that the game was still targeting 2026. As recently as May, Kadokawa had reiterated in its financial report that The Duskbloods remained on track. The delay announcement clearly came quickly after that position changed internally.
The Network Test: Massive Interest, Early Chaos
Despite the delay news, the appetite for The Duskbloods is genuinely remarkable. When FromSoftware ran its closed network test in August 2026, the application numbers caught even the developer off guard.
Producer Yasuhiro Kitao revealed during a Famitsu livestream that the number of applicants for The Duskbloods network test exceeded those for Elden Ring: Nightreign’s own test — which is a staggering fact when you consider that Nightreign’s test ran on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, two platforms with a combined install base of over 120 million units at the time. The Duskbloods is a Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive. On a single, newer platform with a smaller user base, it still pulled more interest.
“We were actually very surprised,” Kitao said, also noting that some fans who may have been hesitant about Nightreign’s multiplayer format were drawn to give The Duskbloods a shot. That suggests a real hunger for what FromSoftware is building here — not just residual goodwill from Elden Ring.
The network test itself, however, had a rough start. The first session ended abruptly due to major connectivity issues that left most players unable to actually play the game. FromSoftware addressed the problems in subsequent sessions, which ran more smoothly, but it’s clear the server infrastructure still needs work before a full public launch — and that may have factored into the delay decision as well.
What Is The Duskbloods, Exactly?
For those who haven’t been tracking it: The Duskbloods is FromSoftware’s first game made as a Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive, directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki — the mind behind Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Elden Ring. It’s a PvPvE multiplayer action game set in a dark gothic world, where up to eight players compete and co-operate simultaneously as “Bloodsworn” characters, each with their own playstyle, abilities, and strategic role.
The tone and aesthetic draw heavily from Bloodborne’s gothic horror DNA, while the combat system brings in the precision and posture-based mechanics Sekiro fans will recognize. What makes The Duskbloods unusual — and genuinely intriguing — is the range of elements FromSoftware has thrown into the mix: jetpacks for vertical mobility, dinosaur-like creatures in the world, and a strategic depth that goes well beyond “hit things until they die.” The Duskbloods is also confirmed to be a permanent Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive — Kadokawa has explicitly confirmed it will not be coming to PlayStation, Xbox, or PC.
When Will The Duskbloods Actually Release?
There’s no specific date yet — FromSoftware simply said “2027” in the delay announcement. Given how deep the interest runs in this game, and the fact that the developer says it’s already in the “final adjustment stage,” a 2027 release does feel realistic rather than indefinitely distant. But until FromSoftware gives a concrete window, it’s a waiting game.
The delay is frustrating, but it’s hard to argue against a FromSoftware game getting more time to nail its balancing — especially for a multiplayer title where getting that wrong at launch can be difficult to recover from. Better to wait and get it right than rush it out and spend months patching a broken competitive ecosystem.
For more big gaming news this week, check out our coverage of BioWare co-founder Greg Zeschuk breaking his silence on the studio’s closure and the Mario Kart World datamine that revealed Spiny as a cut character. Also worth reading: everything confirmed about Spirit Crossing ahead of its November 16 launch.
