Hopefully, Junya Ishizaki Isn’t Done Directing After Elden Ring Nightreign

While it has landed to a more mixed reception than previous FromSoftware games, Elden Ring Nightreign is definitely a worthwhile experience, and gets a lot right. With thoughtful patches, like FromSoftware’s recently announced duos update, Elden Ring Nightreign has every chance to go down in history as yet another strong, potentially influential, and experimental game by FromSoftware.

In some ways, Elden Ring Nightreign suffers from the broader success of FromSoftware as a studio; in the wake of Elden Ring, a game that many consider to be one of the best ever made, Nightreign had a lot to live up to. What’s more is that FromSoftware’s leading auteur, Hidetaka Miyazaki, took the backseat for this project, handing the reins instead to Junya Ishizaki, who had previously worked as a designer on several high-profile titles, including Bloodborne and the entirety of the Dark Souls series. Most notably, he was the battle director for Elden Ring and the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, which may have been a particularly helpful experience going into Nightreign. But Nightreign is Ishizaki’s first time in the director’s chair, and hopefully, it won’t be the last.

In Defense of Elden Ring Nightreign’s Three-Player Restriction

Elden Ring Nightreign has come under fire for only allowing solo or trio play, and this makes sense, but three players might be the way to go anyway.

Despite Its Issues, Elden Ring Nightreign Is a Strong Directorial Debut for Junya Ishizaki

Ishizaki Had Big Shoes To Fill When Directing Elden Ring Nightreign

Since the release of Demon’s Souls, Hidetaka Miyazaki’s prominence has risen to the same level as the likes of Hideo Kojima and Shinji Mikami—developers whose work and reputation precede them. Like those other auteurs, Miyazaki’s projects have a distinct identity, and an unmistakable flair and personality that makes them easy to distinguish from the myriad of other action-RPGs that litter the AAA landscape. In other words, Miyazaki is a bit of a rockstar in the gaming world, and with many considering Elden Ring to be his magnum opus, anyone attempting to take his place for a future project would have had their work cut out for them.

This is where Ishizaki comes in. He was quite active in the leadup to Elden Ring Nightreign‘s release, speaking to press outlets and being open about the fact that this is a game with him at the helm, not Miyazaki. Ishizaki has even gone on record about his creative control over Nightreign, intimating that Miyazaki more or less let him run wild with the Elden Ring IP.

And while the game has its shortcomings, it’s an undeniably unique product, one that perhaps would have never been made by Miyazaki. This is a good thing, as it’s a sign that FromSoftware is still willing to take risks and diversify within its talent pool. One must remember that Miyazaki himself had no prior game direction experience before Demon’s Souls, but FromSoft’s decision to put him in that leadership role paved the way for one of the most influential and important video games of all time. By maintaining that mentality with other developers, FromSoftware can continue to build a strong and diverse portfolio.

Junya Ishizaki Could Become Another Leader Within FromSoftware

It’s quite common to see senior staff at western studios leave once a project is completed, sometimes starting their own studios or simply moving on to a different company. This happens far less frequently in Japanese companies, though, where senior staff often remain in the same role until they retire. Assuming FromSoftware adheres to this trend, it’s likely that both Miyazaki and Ishizaki will stick around for quite some time yet.

If this is the case, it would be great to see Miyazaki defer to Ishizaki more often. The clever and creative ideas on display in Elden Ring Nightreign do more than enough to establish the director as one with a powerful vision and the fearlessness to bring it to life. Hopefully, Nightreign‘s mixed reviews don’t get in the way of Ishizaki’s continued directorial efforts.