Former SIE leader Shuhei Yoshida, now an advisor to indie game creators, recently delivered a keynote address at CEDEC 2026, a major developer gathering in Japan. According to 4Gamer, Yoshida reflected on over twenty “remarkable” titles he’s experienced during his career, highlighting Demon’s Souls—the 2009 game that launched FromSoftware’s global acclaim and birthed the soulslike genre.
Although Yoshida was personally involved with most games mentioned, that wasn’t the case with Demon’s Souls, which he noted “unfortunately.” He first saw the project midway through development after returning to Japan from the US in fall 2008 to assist with PS4 development. At the time, he perceived Demon’s Souls as a standard fantasy action RPG. Upon testing the build himself, he struggled to make progress even after two hours and initially found it “unfriendly.”
With minimal pre-release buzz, Sony’s Western teams opted against publishing Demon’s Souls, and the initial Japanese shipment of 20,000 copies seemed insufficient for FromSoftware to break even.
Despite this, Yoshida explained that FromSoftware remained committed to refining the game, eventually releasing it in February 2009 after extending development. Positive word-of-mouth about its “incredible fun” spread among Japanese players, boosting sales. This attracted Atlus and Bandai Namco, who agreed to publish the title in North America and Europe respectively, contributing to Demon’s Souls’ global success.
By the time FromSoftware began crafting Dark Souls, Yoshida realized the studio was creating something revolutionary—a game with a unique design philosophy, not just another conventional action title. His understanding came too late, however, as FromSoftware declined SCE’s offer to publish Dark Souls, citing insufficient support for Demon’s Souls. Looking back at FromSoftware’s later triumphs, Yoshida remarked, “I’d like to believe, though it may be wishful thinking, that our eventual disengagement led to a better outcome for the gaming industry and players.”
Since then, FromSoftware has primarily partnered with Bandai Namco Entertainment for overseas releases (a relationship causing some friction with Kadokawa), though it briefly reunited with Sony for the PS4’s Bloodborne and the experimental VR game Déraciné.