FromSoftware

FromSoftware, Inc. is a Japanese video game development and publishing company based in Tokyo. Founded by Naotoshi Zin in November 1986, the company developed business software before releasing its first video game, King's Field, for the PlayStation in 1994. Its success shifted FromSoftware to focus fully on video games, with them producing two more King's Field games before creating the mecha combat series Armored Core (1997), one of its flagship franchises. By the 2000s, the FromSoftware lineup also included the Echo Night, Shadow Tower, Lost Kingdoms, Otogi, and Another Century's Episode series. The company would achieve breakout success in the 2010s, spurred by 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 Soulslikes. These include Bloodborne (2015), Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (2019), and Elden Ring (2022), which are often listed among the greatest video games of all time. Hidetaka Miyazaki, a creator of the Dark Souls series, has served as FromSoftware's representative director and president since 2014, with Zin remaining as an advisor. Despite his executive role, Miyazaki continues to direct the majority of the company's games. The company is owned primarily by Kadokawa Corporation with minority stakes by Sixjoy Hong Kong, a subsidiary of Tencent, and Sony Interactive Entertainment. FromSoftware usually self-publishes in Japan and partners with larger companies to publish internationally, including Agetec, Sony, and Bandai Namco Entertainment.