The story of how a car breakdown led Hidetaka Miyazaki to create the Dark Souls summoning system
The father of soulslike games revealed that his famous multiplayer system was born out of a mishap he had in the middle of a snowstorm.
Nowadays, everyone is used to multiplayer games such as Dark Souls or Elden Ring, where you can ask other players for help in defeating the powerful enemies that are making your life miserable. However, not everyone knows the origin of this system popularized by FromSoftware games.
As revealed by Hidetaka Miyazaki himself, the father of the soulslike genre, in an interview with The New Yorker, he was inspired to create the summoning system in his games by a personal experience he had many years ago. One day, his car broke down in the middle of a snowy hill, but then several strangers approached to help him push the vehicle to the top. After they succeeded, they left without saying a word.
That collaborative experience planted a seed in Miyazaki’s mind: a system in which players from all over the world could appear to help others in difficult moments and then disappear. This eventually germinated into the summoning mechanic we all know and love, which is still present in all of FromSoftware’s soulslike games today. Thanks to this system, users can call on allies to help them overcome difficult areas of the map or defeat seemingly unbeatable bosses. It’s all about collaboration and helping those in need, just as he was helped when he needed it most.
The future of Bloodborne remains uncertain
The summoning system was also present in Bloodborne, one of the most acclaimed video games directed by Miyazaki in history. Unfortunately, this game is not yet available for PC, and millions of people are still waiting for From Software or Sony to decide to create a remake or an improved version that ensures 60fps gameplay on console.
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Interestingly, a report recently came to light indicating that Bluepoint Games, the studio known for the remakes of Shadow of the Colossus and Demon’s Souls, proposed to Sony that it develop a remake of Bloodborne. The company accepted, but FromSoftware, the entity that owns the IP rights, reportedly refused outright. Following this, the future of the game is once again as uncertain as before.
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