FromSoftware is stepping into one of multiplayer gaming’s most divisive arguments with The Duskbloods, confirming the upcoming Switch 2 exclusive will lean on skill-based matchmaking to keep newcomers safe from its most battle-hardened players.

Speaking to IGN, FromSoftware president and Duskbloods director Hidetaka Miyazaki confirmed the game will run on a ranked system, pairing highly skilled players together and keeping newer players in their own pool specifically to avoid lopsided matches as the game’s skill gap widens over time.

Skill-based matchmaking has been a persistent flashpoint in multiplayer games for years. Games like Call of Duty and Apex Legends have repeatedly faced backlash from players who feel it makes lobbies feel unnecessarily punishing.

“In terms of really, really good players, we definitely plan on having the matchmaking system work in a way so that it’s ranked, and players who are really good tend to be matched with other players who are great, and players who are new tend to be matched with other new players just to avoid situations like you had mentioned,” he explained.

“Another element is that, even if you’re not necessarily always winning the matches or making it to the end, there are things that you can unlock through just gameplay like story content and customisation for your character, which should allow you to enjoy it outside of the actual combat. We’re hoping that can at least draw players in initially – they can enjoy the game for what it is, and enjoy the story and the world. And then from there, if they want to continue to get better at the actual matches, then that’s something that they can do as well.”

Interestingly, Miyazaki stressed that this “might not be something that comes out initially and may come a bit later on”.

“We’re definitely considering ways to build a relationship between veteran players and new players – something that’s positive and not always scary or something they’d want to avoid,” he added.

“For example, things like event customisation, having certain in-match events be very rare or have higher chances of appearing if you’re in a game with someone who has been playing for a really long time. Or having the Alliance system done in a way where you can specifically say that you want to be paired with someone who’s really good and has a high rank. And the player who’s high-rank can maybe have their settings prioritise pairing with newcomers if they want to help them out, very similar to leaving signs in front of a boss in our other games.”

Miyazaki stressed that the team wanted this “to be positive for both players” – “veterans to feel like they’re contributing to the newcomers and the newcomers to feel like they’re being accepted and having fun with others”.

“Making sure they’re not split to where they don’t want to interact with each other,” he said. “It’s definitely something to consider and something we want to look at in a positive way.”

Miyazaki was clear that none of this is locked in from the current Network Test build, and that FromSoftware is still watching how the game’s more experimental systems, including the Sigil and Virtue point systems, land with players before finalising how matchmaking evolves long-term. This weekend’s Network Test runs in phases, one per day from 21st to 24th August.

The Duskbloods launches as a Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive, with FromSoftware treating it as a genuine departure from its usual single-player focus. Miyazaki has previously suggested the studio is keen to return to single-player games once The Duskbloods and Elden Ring: Nightreign are behind it, insisting the pair’s multiplayer focus was coincidental rather than a change in direction.