At the Spike Video Game Awards, FromSoftware announced Dark Souls II, the latest entry in the developer's notoriously punishing franchise. For the first time, franchise founder Hidetaka Miyazaki is entrusting Yui Tanimura and Tomohiro Shibuya with the reigns of the project, who promise a "more direct than subtle" approach this go around, according to EDGE.
A press release sent out following that debut of the first Dark Souls II trailer reads, "This new chapter in the Dark Souls saga presents opportunities for us to drive innovation in gameplay design, develop an entirely new story, and expand the scope of the world in which the player interacts with the game. We have taken these necessary steps with Dark Souls II in order to evolve the overall experience of the Dark Souls series.
The entire development team is striving to make Dark Souls II an experience that is fresh while not forsaking its roots in presenting players with challenging gameplay. Our goal is to surprise and delight our fans with new experiences and plot twists while enticing new players to join our dark journey."
FromSoftware promises a new "server-based multiplayer mode," but doesn't provide any specifics.
The first game in the franchise, Demon Souls, launched in 2009 for the PS3 and sparked a phenomenon that left players craving more of its old-school, challenging flavor. A unique online multiplayer mode allowed players to leave messages for others to read at various points in each level, and provided the ability to jump into others' game worlds to either assist or terrorize fellow Souls gamers.
Dark Souls released in 2011, advertised under the slogan "Prepare to Die." While no launch date was given for Dark Souls II, the game will find its way to the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC.