FromSoftware has moved The Duskbloods, its Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive, out of 2026 and into 2027, the studio announced on October 29.
The game was at the final adjustment stage, the studio said, but needs more time before release. “While development of ‘The Duskbloods’ is at the final adjustment stage, we have made the decision to move the launch window to 2027,” FromSoftware said in the announcement on X. “We apologize to players who have been kindly awaiting the release of this title and thank you for your patience and support.”
In a follow-up post, FromSoftware said the extra time will go toward final adjustments to game rules and balancing, based on what players told it during the closed network test held across five sessions from August 21 through 24. Nintendo’s regional accounts in Germany, France and Italy reposted the announcement with their own statement that the move was made “to provide the best possible gaming experience.”
A big hole in the Switch 2’s holiday lineup
The Duskbloods was announced at the Switch 2 unveiling Direct in April 2025, and Nintendo had reaffirmed the 2026 launch window as recently as February, always without a specific release date. It was positioned as one of the Switch 2’s biggest exclusives, and it is FromSoftware’s first new game since Elden Ring Nightreign. Its slip leaves the console’s first holiday season without the flagship title Nintendo had been holding up, and moves the game clear of Grand Theft Auto 6, which launches in November 2026.
Producer Yasuhiro Kitao said earlier this year that more players applied for The Duskbloods network test than signed up for Elden Ring Nightreign’s, despite the game being locked to a single platform, a sign of how much weight both FromSoftware and Nintendo were putting on the title.
Fans had been expecting the news
With weeks left in the year and no update since the network test, fans had already assumed the slip was coming, and some had guessed that a launch against Grand Theft Auto 6 played a part in the timing. FromSoftware itself has said nothing about the competition, only the balancing work.
No release date within 2027 has been announced, and the studio has not said which rules or balance elements are being changed.
