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 the Dark Souls series, as well as other successful FromSoftware titles like Demon's Souls, Bloodborne, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and Elden Ring, 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
[edit]
1980s and 1990s
[edit]Hidetaka Miyazaki, company president and director of several of their games
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.[2] 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.[3] 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.[4]
2000s
[edit]
With the launch of the PlayStation 2 in 2000, FromSoftware released the role-playing games Eternal Ring and Evergrace.[4] The same year, FromSoftware released Sword of Moonlight: King's Field Making Tool, an SDK for Windows that lets users develop their own King's Field games.[5] In 2003, FromSoftware published Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven, a stealth game that combines action and adventure elements.[6] In 2004, FromSoftware bought the rights to the series, excluding the first two games, from Activision.[7][8] The company also released King's Field IV and Shadow Tower Abyss, in addition to the Lost Kingdoms series for the GameCube.[4] 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.[4] 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.[6] In May 2008, FromSoftware underwent a stock split.[6]
2010s
[edit]
FromSoftware achieved breakout success in the 2010s,[6] 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 Soulsborne games.[9] These include Dark Souls II (2014),[10]Bloodborne (2015),[11][12]Dark Souls III (2016),[13]Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (2019),[14][15] and Elden Ring (2022),[16][17][18] all of which have received several awards and are often listed among the greatest video games of all time.[19][20][21][22] In April 2014, Kadokawa Corporation announced its intention to purchase the company from former shareholder Transcosmos.[23] Following other restructuring, Souls creator Hidetaka Miyazaki would be promoted to company president the following month and later given the title of representative director.[24] In January 2016, FromSoftware established a studio in Fukuoka that focuses on creating computer-generated imagery (CGI) assets for their games.[25][26]
2020s
[edit]
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.[27] In November 2022, a report by GamesIndustry.biz claimed that FromSoftware was paying their employees at sub-standard rates.[28] The company had 423 employees as of June 2024[update].[29] In October 2024, the developer announced a salary increase of approximately 12% for its employees.[30] In April 2025, FromSoftware announced The Duskbloods, a multiplayer-focused soulslike game directed by Miyazaki for the Nintendo Switch 2.[31]
Games
[edit]
List of games developed by FromSoftware
Year
Title
System
International publisher
1994
King's Field
PlayStation
—N/a
1995
King's Field II
PlayStation
NA: ASCII Entertainment
EU: Sony Computer Entertainment
1996
King's Field III
PlayStation
ASCII Entertainment
1997
Armored Core
PlayStation
Sony Computer Entertainment
Armored Core: Project Phantasma
PlayStation
ASCII Entertainment
1998
Shadow Tower
PlayStation
Agetec
Echo Night
PlayStation
Agetec
1999
Armored Core: Master of Arena
PlayStation
Agetec
Spriggan: Lunar Verse
PlayStation
—N/a
Frame Gride
Dreamcast
—N/a
Echo Night 2: The Lord of Nightmares
PlayStation
—N/a
2000
Eternal Ring
PlayStation 2
NA: Agetec
EU: Ubisoft
Evergrace
PlayStation 2
NA: Agetec
EU: Ubisoft
Armored Core 2
PlayStation 2
NA: Agetec
EU: Ubisoft
The Adventures of Cookie & Cream
PlayStation 2
NA: Agetec
EU: Empire Interactive
2001
Armored Core 2: Another Age
PlayStation 2
NA: Agetec
EU: Metro3D
Forever Kingdom
PlayStation 2
Agetec
King's Field IV
PlayStation 2
NA: Agetec
EU: Metro3D
2002
Armored Core 3
PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable
NA: Agetec
EU: Metro3D
Lost Kingdoms
GameCube
Activision
Murakumo: Renegade Mech Pursuit
Xbox
Ubisoft
Otogi: Myth of Demons
Xbox
Sega
2003
Silent Line: Armored Core
PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable
Agetec
Thousand Land
Xbox
—N/a
Lost Kingdoms II
GameCube
Activision
Shadow Tower Abyss
PlayStation 2
—N/a
Otogi 2: Immortal Warriors
Xbox
Sega
2004
Echo Night: Beyond
PlayStation 2
NA: Agetec
EU: Indie Games Productions
Armored Core: Nexus
PlayStation 2
Agetec
Kuon
PlayStation 2
NA: Agetec
EU: Indie Games Productions
Armored Core: Nine Breaker
PlayStation 2
NA: Agetec
EU: 505 Games
Armored Core: Formula Front
PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 2
NA: Agetec
EU: 505 Games
Metal Wolf Chaos
Xbox
—N/a
2005
Yoshitsune Eiyūden: The Story of Hero Yoshitsune
PlayStation 2
—N/a
Another Century's Episode
PlayStation 2
Banpresto
Armored Core: Last Raven
PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable
NA: Agetec
EU: 505 Games
2006
Enchanted Arms
Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
Ubisoft
Another Century's Episode 2
PlayStation 2
Banpresto
Chromehounds
Xbox 360
Sega
King's Field: Additional I
PlayStation Portable
—N/a
King's Field: Additional II
PlayStation Portable
—N/a
Armored Core 4
PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
NA: Sega
EU: 505 Games
2007
Nanpure VOW
Nintendo DS
—N/a
Iraroji VOW
Nintendo DS
—N/a
Another Century's Episode 3: The Final
PlayStation 2
Banpresto
2008
Armored Core: For Answer
PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Ubisoft
Shadow Assault: Tenchu
Xbox 360
—N/a
2009
Inugami-ke no Ichizoku
Nintendo DS
Nintendo
Ninja Blade
Xbox 360, Windows
Microsoft Game Studios
Demon's Souls
PlayStation 3
JP: Sony Computer Entertainment
NA: Atlus
PAL: Namco Bandai Partners
Yatsuhaka-mura
Nintendo DS
—N/a
2010
Another Century's Episode: R
PlayStation 3
Banpresto
Monster Hunter Diary
PlayStation Portable
Capcom
2011
Another Century's Episode Portable
Namco Bandai Games
Dark Souls
PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Windows
Namco Bandai Games
2012
Armored Core V
PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Namco Bandai Games
Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn
PlayStation 3
Namco Bandai Games
Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor
Xbox 360
Capcom
2013
Armored Core: Verdict Day
PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Namco Bandai Games
2014
Dark Souls II
PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Windows
Bandai Namco Games
2015
Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin
PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Bandai Namco Games
Bloodborne
PlayStation 4
Sony Computer Entertainment
2016
Dark Souls III
PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows
Bandai Namco Entertainment
2018
Déraciné
PlayStation 4 (PlayStation VR)
Sony Interactive Entertainment
2019
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One, Stadia
Activision
2022
Elden Ring
PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2
Bandai Namco Entertainment
2023
Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon
PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Bandai Namco Entertainment
2025
Elden Ring Nightreign
PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Bandai Namco Entertainment
2026
The Duskbloods
Nintendo Switch 2
Nintendo
Expansion packs / downloadable content
Year
Title
Game
2012
Artorias of the Abyss
Dark Souls
2014
Crown of the Sunken King
Dark Souls II
Crown of the Old Iron King
Crown of the Ivory King
2015
The Old Hunters
Bloodborne
2016
Ashes of Ariandel
Dark Souls III
2017
The Ringed City
2024
Shadow of the Erdtree
Elden Ring
2025
The Forsaken Hollows
Elden Ring Nightreign
Software
Year
Title
Platform
2000
Sword of Moonlight: King's Field Making Tool
Windows
References
[edit]
^ abcd"フロム・ソフトウェア、25年3月期決算は売上高51％増の234億円、営業益53％増の100億円と大幅増収増益…『ELDEN RING』DLCと本編が販売好調". gamebiz (in Japanese). July 23, 2025. Retrieved October 19, 2025.
^"角川ゲームスとフロム・ソフトウェア「MEDIA BRIEFING 2014 AUTUMN」を開催". GAME Watch. November 25, 2014. Archived from the original on June 6, 2021. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
^Ciolek, Todd (March 16, 2015). "The History of From Software". ign.com. Archived from the original on March 18, 2015. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
^ abcdCiolek, Todd (March 16, 2015). "The History of From Software". IGN. p. 1. Archived from the original on March 18, 2015. Retrieved May 20, 2017.
^"Products | FromSoftware, Inc". www.fromsoftware.jp. Retrieved December 9, 2025.
^ abcd"History | FromSoftware". www.fromsoftware.jp. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
^Fahey, Rob (July 7, 2004). "From Software buys Tenchu rights". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
^Hirohiko Niizumi (July 6, 2004). "From Software acquires Tenchu brand". GameSpot. Archived from the original on December 13, 2023. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
^Wildgoose, David (March 7, 2022). "Painfully Difficult: From Software's 30+ Year Journey From PS1 to Elden Ring". IGN. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
^Nunneley-Jackson, Stephany (October 24, 2014). "Dark Souls 2 wins Game of the Year at Golden Joystick Awards". VG247. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
^"Eurogamer's Game of the Year 2015". Eurogamer.net. January 2016. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
^"Edge Presents: The 100 Greatest Video Games of All Time". Edge. August 2017.
^"Overwatch and Dark Souls 3 win big at this year's Golden Joystick Awards". PC Gamer. November 18, 2016. Retrieved February 13, 2017.
^Makuch, Eddie (December 13, 2019). "The Game Awards 2019 Winners: Sekiro Takes Game Of The Year". GameSpot. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
^Hussain, Tamoor (December 17, 2019). "Game Of The Year 2019 – Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice". GameSpot. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
^"Elden Ring takes top honors at the Japan Game Awards". Japan Times. September 15, 2022.
^Loveridge, Sam (November 22, 2022). "Here are all the Golden Joystick Awards 2022 winners". GamesRadar+. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
^Plant, Logan (December 8, 2022). "The Game Awards 2022 Winners: The Full List". IGN. Archived from the original on December 9, 2022. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
^Kain, Erik (November 22, 2013). "'Dark Souls' Inspired The Design Of Sony's PlayStation 4". Forbes. Archived from the original on October 5, 2018. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
^Polygon Staff (November 27, 2017). "The 500 Best Video Games of All Time". Polygon.com. Archived from the original on March 3, 2018. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
^Hussain, Tamoor (May 14, 2019). "The Most Influential Games Of The 21st Century: Dark Souls". GameSpot. Archived from the original on May 14, 2019. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
^Donnelly, Joe (November 23, 2021). "Why Dark Souls has been crowned the best video game of all time". GamesRadar+. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
^"From Software acquired by Japanese publisher Kadokawa Corporation". Archived from the original on April 29, 2014. Retrieved April 28, 2014.
^Duwell, Ron (May 23, 2014). "Dark Souls' Hidetaka Miyazaki Promoted to President of From Software". Techno Buffalo. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 25, 2015.
^"From Software to open new studio in Fukuoka". Gematsu. September 12, 2015. Archived from the original on September 16, 2015. Retrieved September 15, 2015.
^"FromSoftware to Establish New Studio in Fukuoka in October 2015". FromSoftware. Archived from the original on June 1, 2016. Retrieved June 25, 2016.
^"Tencent and Sony Interactive Entertainment collectively acquire 30.34 percent of FromSoftware". Gematsu. August 31, 2022. Retrieved August 31, 2022.
^"How much does From Software crunch?". GamesIndustry.biz. November 29, 2022. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
^"About". fromsoftware.jp. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
^"Elden Ring developer FromSoftware announces salary increase of 12%". Eurogamer.net. October 4, 2024. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
^"From Software Announces The Duskbloods, A New RPG Exclusive To Switch 2". GameSpot. Retrieved April 3, 2025.
Companies
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Tokyo
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