Former Tekken producer and VS Studio CEO Katsuhiro Harada recently shared his insights on his experiences with Elden Ring and Dark Souls creator Hidetaka Miyazaki. According to Harada, Miyazaki’s relatively late start in the industry and his down-to-earth approach to game development set him apart from other prominent developers.
Unlike many well-regarded Japanese game developers who began their careers in the 1970s, Miyazaki only entered the industry at the age of 29. After earning a degree in social science from Keio University and working as an account manager, it was his experience with Fumito Ueda’s Ico on the PlayStation 2 that inspired him to pursue game development. Despite his lack of prior experience making it challenging to secure a position, he eventually joined FromSoftware as a planner for Armored Core: Last Raven. He then went on to direct Armored Core 4 and Armored Core: For Answer before taking the helm on Demon’s Souls.
Demon’s Souls initially struggled to meet sales targets, but its fanbase grew steadily in the months that followed, largely thanks to support from publishers Atlus and Bandai Namco. This sleeper hit gave Miyazaki the opportunity to work on Dark Souls, and the success of that title led to his promotion to president of FromSoftware in 2014.
Harada describes Miyazaki’s career trajectory as “unique” and “remarkably unconventional,” noting, “It’s truly remarkable that someone who wasn’t even a game developer during the early days of polygon gaming eventually became one of Japan’s most iconic game creators.” He further adds that unlike himself and others who worked at major companies with cutting-edge technology during the polygon era (such as Namco, which based its System 11 arcade hardware on the Sony PlayStation for the original Tekken), Miyazaki had no such technological advantages during his time at FromSoftware.
When discussing Miyazaki’s creative process, Harada likens him to a “mad scientist” – someone deeply serious and obsessive about his craft. Harada recalls an instance during a playtest for the VR title Summer Lesson (where he was a producer) when Miyazaki sat silently observing. When asked what he was doing, he explained that he was deeply absorbed in imagining how he would approach developing the game if he were in charge. He then went on to share his thoughts with the group, which Harada described as “completely insane in the best possible way.”
Miyazaki is known for his reluctance to appear in video interviews. Harada provides a summarized explanation, stating that aside from not wanting to see himself on camera, Miyazaki believes there are many in the industry who understand games better than he does. When he listens to these individuals discuss games, he feels his own grasp of the medium is limited and doesn’t feel qualified to speak on the subject. While many, including Harada, disagree with this assessment, it’s likely one of the reasons behind Miyazaki’s enduring humility.
Harada also offered some thoughts on Dark Souls, emphasizing that Miyazaki’s true creativity is evident in the world he crafted rather than the game’s difficulty. He recalls a time when Miyazaki and his team faced challenges getting their ideas approved (Harada served as the general manager for production and marketing for Dark Souls and Elden Ring). It was only through the success of FromSoftware’s games that they were able to establish their studio’s reputation.
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