FromSoftware is attempting to address the long-standing issue of "smurfing" in multiplayer games.
Recently, Hidetaka Miyazaki, President of FromSoftware and Director of Nightreign, revealed in an interview with IGN that this Switch 2 exclusive title plans to implement a skill-based matchmaking mechanism, aiming to match players of similar abilities against each other as much as possible.
Hidetaka Miyazaki stated that the game will adopt a ranked-style matchmaking approach, where high-level players are prioritized to match with other experts, while newcomers just starting the game will be matched with other players in the novice stage, to avoid mismatches in skill as the player base diversifies.
"For truly skilled players, we do plan to have the matchmaking system operate in a ranked manner. Very high-level players will tend to be matched with other experts, while new players will be matched with other newcomers."
Skill-based matchmaking has always been a controversial mechanism in multiplayer games. Popular titles like Call of Duty and Apex Legends have faced criticism from players over SBMM issues. Many players believe that overly strict skill matching makes every match excessively tense, leaving little room for casual play.
However, Nightreign clearly does not want players to focus entirely on "winning or losing."
Hidetaka Miyazaki stated that even if players don't win matches or fail to survive until the end, they can still unlock story content and character customization elements through normal gameplay. Therefore, even with poor combat performance, players can still enjoy the game's narrative and world-building.
He expressed hope that players would first stay for the game's story and world-building, and only later invest more time in improving their combat skills if they wished to further enhance their abilities.
Notably, Hidetaka Miyazaki revealed that this complete matchmaking system may not launch with the initial release of the game, but could be added in subsequent updates.FromSoftware is currently researching how to foster more positive interactions between new and veteran players, rather than simply isolating the two groups completely.
For example, the game might include special events: certain rare in-game events could have a higher trigger probability when playing with veteran players.
Additionally, the game may utilize an "Alliance" system, allowing players to actively choose what type of players they want to team up with. High-ranking players can set themselves as willing to help newcomers, while new players can actively seek out experts to guide them.
Hidetaka Miyazaki compared this mechanism to the "summon sign" system in FromSoftware's past titles—where players can actively leave signals and wait for others to come assist them.FromSoftware hopes this design will provide a positive experience for both new and veteran players.
"We want veteran players to feel like they are helping newcomers, while newcomers feel welcomed and able to enjoy the game together with other players."
Hidetaka Miyazaki emphasized that the development team does not want the matchmaking mechanism to completely separate new and veteran players into two non-interacting groups.Of course, none of these ideas have been finalized yet. FromSoftware is still observing player feedback on various experimental systems during the network test, including the "Sigil" and "Virtue" point systems, and will decide how to adjust the matchmaking mechanism based on the test results.
The Nightreign network test will be conducted in stages from August 21st to 24th, with one test phase opening each day.
As a Switch 2 exclusive, Nightreign is also one of FromSoftware's first major attempts at multiplayer gameplay. However, Hidetaka Miyazaki has previously made it clear that this does not mean FromSoftware will fully shift towards multiplayer games in the future.
He stated that once Nightreign and Elden Ring: Nightfall are completed, the studio still hopes to return to single-player games. The simultaneous use of multiplayer mechanics in both titles is more of a chronological coincidence and does not represent a change in FromSoftware's future direction.