Slightly off-topic for Elden Ring itself, but this feels like the right board for it: FromSoftware ran a network test for The Duskbloods (their other current project) from August 21-24. TechRadar published hands-on impressions on August 26, and interestingly they kept comparing the moment-to-moment feel to Nightreign - fast, aggressive multiplayer encounters rather than the slower solo Elden Ring pacing.
Nothing about a release date yet, but it's a good sign FromSoft is iterating on the multiplayer-survival formula they started with Nightreign. Did anyone here get into the network test? Curious how it actually played compared to Nightreign for those who've spent time in both.
Source: TechRadar, August 26 2026 hands-on preview.
Small update on this - FromSoftware producer Yasuhiro Kitao spoke about the network test on a Famitsu livestream (Aug 24) and said applicant numbers for the Duskbloods test actually exceeded what Nightreign's own test drew. No hard numbers given, but it's a decent signal of interest heading into whatever's next for that project. Matches what the TechRadar hands-on impressions were suggesting about the multiplayer-survival direction they're iterating on.
Another small Duskbloods update while we're on this thread: FromSoftware officially revealed a new player-to-player mechanic called the "Sigil of Love Ephemeral" (Sept 5 press materials). It lets one player propose a temporary alliance to another mid-combat - accept it and you can't damage each other for a while, reject it and it's back to business as usual. Miyazaki's own framing is interesting: "It's not necessarily a romantic pairing, it's having someone you can ultimately rely on... it's a transient, ephemeral love." It's one of four sigil types in the network test build (alongside ones for sworn enemies, old friends, and something tied to "the Eye of Muralis"), and the full release is apparently going to let you matchmake already bloodbound with friends you invite in.
Feels like a genuinely new direction for FromSoft's multiplayer design rather than just a Nightreign reskin. Anyone else think this could point at where they take PvP/co-op after this?
Source: FromSoftware official announcement (fromsoftware.jp), Sept 5 2026.
Update worth flagging on this thread: The Duskbloods didn't appear at all in the September Nintendo Direct, which is starting to raise some real delay concerns. It's still officially slated for a 2026 release (nothing from FromSoftware or Nintendo has walked that back), but with less than four months left in the year and no dedicated showcase announced yet, GameSpot and Notebookcheck have both flagged it as worth watching - the timing lines up with the rougher technical issues from that August network test (a cancelled first session, frame rate drops, input lag reported by testers).
Worth being clear this is concern/speculation, not a confirmed delay - Nintendo has previously and separately denied an unrelated rumoured Sept 24 release date, and there's precedent for FromSoft games getting their own dedicated Direct closer to launch rather than a slot in a general one. But it's the most relevant Duskbloods news since the Sigil of Love reveal, so logging it here.
Sources: GameSpot and Notebookcheck, both Sept 9 2026.