In a recent PC Gamer interview done while promoting Elden Ring’s Shadow Of The Erdtree DLC, director Hidetaka Miyazaki was asked about his thoughts on the massive wave of layoffs and studio closures which has been affecting the video games industry lately.
The situation is extremely dire, as even critical acclaim and a fair degree of commercial success won’t guarantee the survival of your job or company — even if it’s in the hands of multibillion dollar companies like Microsoft and Embracer Group.
Miyazaki assured fans of the Souls series that he’ll do whatever it takes to prevent layoffs from happening at From, stating that “at least as long as this company is my responsibility, that’s something I would not let happen. So hopefully our players and our fans can take a little bit of assurance from that”. Miyazaki even said that Kadokawa, FromSoftware’s parent company, is aware of his standing on this matter and is in tune with his ideas.
The reassuring statement is exactly what fans wanted to hear, and it’s also the echoing of a sentiment by none other than Nintendo’s famed Satoru Iwata, who knew that if your objective is the creation of a great product or experience, it’s essential to unburden your workers from the dread of losing their job and livelihood. Back in 2013, Iwata said, “If we reduce the number of employees for better short-term financial results, employee morale will decrease, and I sincerely doubt employees who fear that they may be laid off will be able to develop software titles that could impress people around the world” — and then backed his words by taking a massive pay cut, just so he could prevent layoffs at Nintendo.
As you likely know by know, the move paid off, paving the way for the creation of the Nintendo Switch, which took Nintendo to the golden era it’s currently enjoying.
Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree comes out on June 21 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
