FromSoftware

FromSoftware, Inc. is a Japanese video game developer and publisher. Founded by Naotoshi Zin on November 1, 1986 as a business software developer, the company released their first video game, '' King's Field'', for the PlayStation in 1994. Its success shifted FromSoftware to focus fully on games, with them producing two more '' King's Field'' games before the first release of the mecha shooter series '' Armored Core'' in 1997.

By the 2000s, FromSoftware's releases included the '' Echo Night'', '' Shadow Tower'', '' Lost Kingdoms'', '' Otogi'', and '' Another Century's Episode'' series. The company achieved breakout success by the 2010s with '' Demon's Souls'' and the '' Dark Souls'' trilogy of action role-playing games. Often cited among the greatest video games ever made, their emphasis on high difficulty and environmental storytelling led to the creation of the Soulslike subgenre, which also includes other later FromSoftware titles such as '' Bloodborne'' (2015), '' Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice'' (2019), and '' Elden Ring'' (2022).

Hidetaka Miyazaki, creator and director of ''Dark Souls'', has served as FromSoftware's representative director and president since 2014, with Zin remaining as an advisor. Miyazaki directs and designs the majority of the company's games in addition to his executive duties. FromSoftware is primarily owned by Kadokawa Corporation (70%), with minority stakes by Sixjoy Hong Kong (16%), a subsidiary of Tencent, and Sony Interactive Entertainment (14%). FromSoftware usually self-publishes in Japan, and has partnered with international publishers, including Agetec, Sony, Bandai Namco Entertainment, Sega, Capcom, Nintendo, and Koch Media.

History

1980s and 1990s

Founded in Tokyo on November 1, 1986, by Naotoshi Zin, FromSoftware originally began as a developer of business applications before shifting focus to video games. The company released its first game, '' King's Field'', for the PlayStation in 1994. Despite its commercial success in Japan, the game was not released in other regions, although 1995's '' King's Field II'' was released in both North America and Europe in 1996. After releasing '' King's Field III'' in 1996, FromSoftware went on to release the horror game '' Echo Night'' and the 1998 role-playing game '' Shadow Tower''. In 1997, FromSoftware released '' Armored Core'', the first release in their flagship ''Armored Core'' series of mecha combat games.

2000s

With the launch of the PlayStation 2 in 2000, FromSoftware released the role-playing games '' Eternal Ring'' and '' Evergrace''. In 2003, FromSoftware published '' Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven'', a stealth game that combines action and adventure elements. In 2004, FromSoftware bought the rights to the series, excluding the first two games, from Activision. The company also released '' King's Field IV'' and '' Shadow Tower Abyss'', in addition to the '' Lost Kingdoms'' series for the GameCube. The company also made a few games exclusive to the Xbox around this time, such as '' Murakumo: Renegade Mech Pursuit'', '' Otogi: Myth of Demons'', '' Otogi 2: Immortal Warriors'', '' Metal Wolf Chaos'', and '' Chromehounds''. In 2005, FromSoftware would start to produce a series of licensed games based on the various anime properties under the banner ''Another Century's Episode''. The same year, the company hosted the video game industry's first internship that let students experience game development through a game creation kit, ''Adventure Player'', for the PlayStation Portable. In May 2008, FromSoftware underwent a stock split.

2010s

FromSoftware achieved breakout success in the 2010s, spurred by the release of ''Demon's Souls'' (2009) and ''Dark Souls'' (2011), the latter being the first entry in a trilogy whose success led to the creation of a subgenre of action role-playing games known as Soulslike games. These include '' Dark Souls II'' (2014), '' Bloodborne'' (2015), '' Dark Souls III'' (2016), '' Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice'' (2019), and '' Elden Ring'' (2022), all of which have received several awards and are often listed among the greatest video games of all time. In April 2014, Kadokawa Corporation announced its intention to purchase the company from former shareholder Transcosmos. Following other restructuring, ''Souls'' creator Hidetaka Miyazaki would be promoted to company president the following month and later given the title of representative director. In January 2016, FromSoftware established a studio in Fukuoka that focuses on creating computer-generated imagery (CGI) assets for their games.

2020s

In August 2022, Sixjoy Hong Kong (a subsidiary of Tencent) and Sony Interactive Entertainment respectively acquired 16.25% and 14.09% of FromSoftware, leaving 69.66% to Kadokawa. In November 2022, a report by GamesIndustry.biz claimed that FromSoftware was paying their employees at sub-standard rates. The company had 423 employees . In October 2024, the developer announced a salary increase of approximately 12% for its employees. In April 2025, FromSoftware announced '' The Duskbloods'', a multiplayer-focused soulslike game directed by Miyazaki for the Nintendo Switch 2.

Games

References

External links

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FromSoftware
2014 mergers and acquisitions
Golden Joystick Award winners
Japanese brands
Japanese companies established in 1986
Kadokawa Corporation subsidiaries
Software companies based in Tokyo
Sony Interactive Entertainment
Tencent
Video game companies established in 1986
Video game companies of Japan
Video game development companies
Video game publishers