As sad as it is to say, Dark Souls as we know it is over.
The news comes from Souls series director Hidetaka Miyazaki - and, while he's hinted at something similar before, it's never been as definitive or final as his most recent quote. Before, fans could at least hold out hope that a new spin-off (such as Bloodborne) would enter into development sometime after the release of the last Dark Souls game, but according to Miyazaki, that's just not going to happen.
"Dark Souls 3 will be have several DLCs like previous games. But there is absolutely no plan right now for any sequels, spin-offs, or tie-ins," Miyazaki said, according to GNN News.
It's especially painful now, as many gamers are still working their way through the fantastic Dark Souls III - and now, they'll have to play knowing that there won't be anything like it for some time. Granted, there have been five Souls games in just about seven years, so it makes sense that Miyazaki - and From Software as a whole - would want to take some time off and try something new.
As it turns out, that new project is already starting to take shape: during the same interview, Miyazaki confirmed that production on an entirely new IP is already underway:
"What is certain for now is, to me personally Dark Souls is over. So, rather than make another sequel, I think it's time we take a step to a new direction. Development of a new IP has already begun."
However, it's important to take this news with a grain of salt. The original story was translated into English via Google's Auto-Translate software - which, as many people are aware of, doesn't always handle the transition from Japanese to English all that well. Before you get your hopes up, we still believe that Miyazaki plans on leaving the Souls series behind - it's just that the above quotes might not be a one-to-one translation.
Translation errors or not, this is the definition of bittersweet: yes, it'll be hard to say goodbye to Dark Souls, but From Software is finally working on something completely new again. That in and of itself is exciting - and hopefully, it won't be too long before fans can catch a glimpse of what the studio is working on.
At the very least, Dark Souls III fans still have two DLC packages to look forward to: the first is set to launch later this year, while the second will debut sometime in 2017.
