Sony’s latest State of Play featured a lot of exciting new video games, but one of the announcements that took most gamers by surprise was the reveal of Nioh 3. Team Ninja, the developer of the Nioh franchise, has not released a new Nioh game in more than five years, and there weren’t any indications prior to this event that it was looking to return to the series. Since Team Ninja has been busy with other projects, like Rise of the Ronin and Ninja Gaiden 4, many assumed that the company wouldn’t have the time to develop another entry in the Nioh franchise. However, not only is it working on Nioh 3, but it also plans to release it next year.
Nioh 3 is noticeably different from its predecessors in a couple of ways. Unlike the previous installments in the franchise, the game is being published by Koei Tecmo and not Sony Interactive Entertainment. In addition, although it will still be a PlayStation 5 console exclusive, the game will be launched on PC simultaneously. When it comes to gameplay, meanwhile, Nioh 3 will take a more open-ended approach to level design. While the game won’t feature a full open-world like the one found in Elden Ring, it will have large areas that players can freely explore.
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Nioh 3 Will Be Perfect for FromSoftware Fans Looking for Single-Player Soulslikes
The First Two Nioh Games are On Par With Some of FromSoftware’s Best Soulslikes
Considering the current state of the Soulslike market, Nioh 3 is probably coming out at the best possible time. The upcoming title provides something that very few other games offer: a top-notch, single-player Soulslike experience. Although there is no shortage of Soulslikes out there, not many of them can stand toe-to-toe with FromSoftware games in terms of quality. Out of the many FromSoftware imitators in the gaming world, though, the first two Nioh games are some of the only titles that have received near-universal acclaim from fans.
FromSoftware Likely Won’t Release a Single-Player Game Anytime Soon
FromSoftware is, as many may know, the progenitor of the Soulslike genre. Most of the Soulslikes the company has released over the last few years, such as Dark Souls, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, and Bloodborne, are regarded as some of the best games ever made. While FromSoftware hasn’t completely moved away from the genre, some of the company’s more recent titles are different from its usual works. Instead of being a single-player Soulslike, for example, the newly-released Elden Ring Nightreign is a PvPvE multiplayer action game with battle royale elements. Meanwhile, the upcoming The Duskbloods is a PvP action RPG that’s exclusive to the Nintendo Switch 2.
Although The Duskbloods and Elden Ring Nightreign still have some Soulslike elements, they’re not exactly the genre-defining single-player RPGs that fans have come to expect from FromSoftware. Hidetaka Miyazaki, the president of the studio, stated in an interview with Nintendo that FromSoftware has not “decided to shift to a more multiplayer-focused direction with [its] titles going forward.” While the company will still seemingly make single-player games in the future, though, it could be years until it releases a traditional, offline Soulslike. Given that The Duskbloods is coming out in 2026, FromSoftware fans may have to wait until 2028 or even 2029 to get another new game from the company.
Nioh 3 Could Be the Most Successful Nioh Game Yet
Since FromSoftware is going to be busy with other projects for a while, Team Ninja has the opportunity to take advantage of its absence in the single-player Soulslike market with Nioh 3. If the next Nioh game ends up being as good as its predecessors, then it may attract the attention of a lot of FromSoftware fans, especially those who aren’t interested in the company’s multiplayer efforts. This, combined with Nioh 3‘s day-and-date PC release, could make the game the most successful entry in the Nioh franchise yet.