Painfully Difficult: From Software's 30+ Year Journey From PS1 to Elden Ring

ign.com:

Today From Software is best known for birthing and leading the charge of the Soulsborne genre, a portmanteau named after its Bloodborne and Dark Souls series. But the longer history of the company reveals a more chequered past, a timeline populated by minor hits at best, alongside curious novelties, intriguing failures, and more than a few outright duds.

In some ways, From Software emerged out of nowhere in 2011 with the release of the original Dark Souls, the studio's first genuine smash hit. Suddenly, almost overnight, millions of PS3 and Xbox 360 owners around the world were playing a From Software game, likely for the very first time.

But to a more dedicated observer, the ‘overnight’ success of Dark Souls - a streak that continues to this day with the magnificent Elden Ring - was an arduous journey 25 years in the making. Was the success of Dark Souls the culmination of two and a half decades of honing their craft? Or was it a mere fluke… a case of the stars aligning and From Software accidentally being in the right place at the right time?

Join us as we rekindle the past… sit down to rest at the present… and summon the future of From Software…

1986 was an auspicious year for video games, particularly in Japan. It saw the release of The Legend of Zelda, the original Metroid, and the first Castlevania, all for the Famicom or NES. All three games can lay claim to being huge influences on the Souls series.

1986 was also the year in which From Software was founded, on November 1, in Tokyo, Japan. Although we don't know the exact meaning behind the From Software name, it's possible that it was chosen to represent the company's original focus… productivity software. To be honest, it's hard to think of a name that better