Published , by Sam Chandler
Published , by Sam Chandler
Elden Ring’s roaring success speaks not only to the dedicated team at FromSoftware, but also to the leadership of Hidetaka Miyazaki. The man has been at the helm, steering the ship and fine-tuning the Souls-like genre, for almost a decade now, but 2022 felt different. This year saw the release of Elden Ring, arguably FromSoftware’s greatest success. And for a man that has every reason in the world to brag, he remains humble, true to his art, and conscientious of the work he and his team perform.
While Miyazaki started his career at FromSoftware in 2004, it wasn’t until he took up a little project which would become Demon’s Souls that people would start to pay attention. As the story goes, the project was thought of as a failure and, seeing an opportunity, Miyazaki took the project in a new direction.
From there, Miyazaki had a meteoric rise. The series of games, which has basically created its own genre, expanded with Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Sekiro. But it was in 2014 when Miyazaki became president of FromSoftware. As Ema Kodaka puts it, “To change career and, within 10 years, become company president – that’s unprecedented in Japan. It’s inspiring.”
The sentiment rings true, as Miyazaki has managed to inspire his team to push the boundaries of the iconic genre they basically pioneered. While each game has the same core and heart, the formula gets tweaked, either perfecting the sauce or trying something entirely new.
Just when players thought that the series couldn’t get any better, that there were no new surprises to uncover or ways in which to enjoy a genre, FromSoftware announces and then releases Elden Ring. We have spoken at great length the many ways Elden Ring meets and exceeds our expectations, and it’s safe to say that this game wouldn’t exist, and the company wouldn’t be where it is today, without the direction of Hidetaka Miyazaki.
To echo the sentiment again: Miyazaki has every reason to be prideful and yet when you hear him speak, it is with nothing but humility and respect for the art of video games and his team. He is a try auteur in the video game space, creating experiences that break into new territory and push the limits of what players have come to expect from a genre. It is with great pleasure that we bestow upon Hidetaka Miyazaki the Shacknews Person of the Year 2022 award.