The Duskbloods delayed to 2027 as FromSoftware adjusts game balance

FromSoftware has delayed The Duskbloods into 2027, moving its Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive out of the previously announced 2026 release window. The studio says development has reached its “final adjustment stage,” but additional time is needed to refine the multiplayer game’s rules and overall balance.

No replacement date or narrower 2027 window has been announced. The Duskbloods remains exclusive to Nintendo Switch 2, with FromSoftware continuing development while Nintendo remains closely involved with the project’s release.

FromSoftware specifically pointed to feedback gathered during the closed network test held in August 2026 when explaining the decision. The studio said players responded positively to the game’s core ideas around direct combat, strategic depth and the freedom to approach situations in different ways.

Rather than pushing the game out before the end of 2026, FromSoftware is using the additional development time to refine those systems. The remaining work will focus on game rules, combat balance and the wider multiplayer structure, suggesting the delay is intended to polish the existing design rather than substantially rebuild the project.

The network test gave players their first extended opportunity to experience the game’s unusual PvPvE setup. FromSoftware has not announced another test yet, but the studio’s comments make clear that feedback from the August sessions is shaping the final version.

The Duskbloods is an online multiplayer action game directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki. Matches support up to eight players, who control supernatural characters known as Bloodsworn and compete against one another while also dealing with AI-controlled enemies scattered across each battlefield.

Temporary alliances can form during matches, but those relationships are not necessarily permanent. Players are ultimately competing for “First Blood,” creating a structure built around cooperation, betrayal and individual goals rather than the primarily cooperative multiplayer associated with FromSoftware’s Souls games.

Different Bloodsworn also have their own abilities and playstyles, giving players reasons to approach encounters differently depending on their character and the situation. The game’s multiplayer focus makes balancing especially important, since changes to weapons, movement or abilities can affect both direct player-versus-player fights and encounters involving computer-controlled enemies.

Nintendo first revealed The Duskbloods during its Switch 2 presentation in April 2025 with a broad 2026 launch window. FromSoftware never announced a specific release date before confirming that the game would instead arrive sometime in 2027.

The delay removes one of Nintendo Switch 2’s more prominent third-party exclusives from the 2026 calendar. FromSoftware has not indicated that the platform arrangement itself has changed, and current official information still lists the game only for Switch 2.

FromSoftware has not provided a new release month, another network-test schedule or a date for its next major update on the project. The studio’s current priority is completing balance adjustments and refining the rules based on feedback gathered during development.

That leaves The Duskbloods with a broad 2027 window for now. More precise timing will likely depend on how quickly FromSoftware completes the remaining multiplayer tuning ahead of launch.