In the latest EDGE magazine (September 2018, issue 322), FromSoftware CEO Hidetaka Miyazaki revealed that he has no preference whatsoever between working on a game based on a new IP or a sequel based on existing IP, as both are ultimately equally compelling to him.
Personally, I have no preference. That largely comes down to the business decision in the end - to what everyone wants to do. Personally I think both have their merits. A brand-new IP like Sekiro allows me and the team a lot more creative freedom to try new ideas. But a sequel is equally as fun because it allows me to refine existing ideas, to improve things that I maybe regretted doing not so well the first time around. As both a creator and a player, there's this level of creativity that means both are on equal ground.
Miyazaki also confirmed that Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice won't be fully rooted in reality as some may have thought.
We're not 100 percent rooted in reality. Of course it's important to retain a sense of faithfulness, but we're not trying to to make a historical depiction of the Sengoku era. While we explored more drastically fantastical elements in our previous games, we want to approach this with a little more dignity this time - a little more carefully, maybe.
But, rest assured, you're not just going to be fighting humanoids the whole way through. There are going to be some things beyond human, even a little supernatural, hidden within this world. In order to make these fantastical, mystical or even grotesque beings seem even more so, the initial groundwork is a lot more realistic.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice doesn't have a fixed release date yet, but is expected to hit PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in early 2019 and will be published by Activision. Kai had the chance to take a look at Sekiro in action during E3 2018 - you can read his impressions here.
