Sony Didn't Pass On Dark Souls--From Software Just Passed On Sony

Choices have consequences. Unfortunately for Sony, one particular decision has led the company to missing out on a couple of the biggest franchises in gaming. The PlayStation team decided not to publish Demon's Souls globally in 2009, which led to a sour taste for the now-well-known studio From Software. That meant the developer looked elsewhere for a publisher with Dark Souls, according to former PlayStation boss Shuhei Yoshida.

VGC reports that Yoshida explained why Sony didn't publish Dark Souls while appearing on the Secret Symbols podcast. It wasn't because the PlayStation team wasn't interested, per Yoshida. "From Software was already working on the sequel [to Demon's Souls], but they were so disappointed with how PlayStation treated them, we wanted to work with them again but they passed on it," said Yoshida.

For those unfamiliar, Atlus ended up publishing Demon's Souls in North America for PS3, while Bandai Namco handled similar duties in Europe. Sony reportedly passed on bringing the action-RPG to other worldwide markets because the PlayStation team didn't think it would appeal to the mass market. Ultimately, Demon's Souls ended up being GameSpot's game of the year in 2009.

Afterward, From Software partnered with Bandai Namco for the Dark Souls franchise, which spawned three games. From there, Bandai Namco has also worked with the developer on the critically acclaimed Elden Ring series, with Elden Ring Nightreign launching on May 30. So, in retrospect, Sony missed out on handling these two massive properties over the past 15 years.

However, Sony did team up with From Software again for the PS4 exclusive Bloodbourne. "We have huge respect for [From Software president Hidetaka] Miyazaki, and we were able to work with them again," Yoshida said. "Bloodborne is one of his best games."

Last month, Yoshida retired from Sony after 31 years with the company. Yoshida started his career as an accountant and rose up to be the Sony Interactive Entertainment worldwide president for over a decade before taking an indies job within the company.