The creator of Dark Souls and the upcoming Elden Ring reveals that none of his games would exist had it not been for the 2001 action-adventure game Ico on the PlayStation 2. Representative director and president of FromSoftware, Miyazaki started working in game development in 2004, specifically on the PS2 game Armored Core: Last Raven. He was soon assumed the role of director for the Armored Core sequels. In the late 2000s, Miyazaki's interest in creating a fantasy action-RPG began, which led to PS3's Demon's Souls and the Golden Joystick Awards 2021 Ultimate Game of All Time Award winner: Dark Souls.
FromSoftware's games have taken the world by storm with their stunning world-building and unforgiving learning curves. After Miyazaki's Dark Souls launched with worldwide success, he was made president of the company in 2014. Since Miyazaki assumed this role, the developer's main focus shifted towards action-RPG games that grew on the Dark Souls (coined "Soulsborne") formula. Success continued and grew as Dark Souls sequels released - and eventually, games like Bloodborne and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice earned FromSoftware an even larger audience. Affinity for the developer's Dark Souls formula has created a Soulslike sub-genre, which often means the game's combat and checkpoint placement may cause players grief - or feelings of great triumph after completing a difficult obstacle.
Miyazaki recently revealed in a Famitsu article (pointed out by Video Games Chronicle) that the first time he played the 2001 PS2 game Ico, it had such a profound effect on him that he changed career paths to start working on video games. He tried the game out after visiting a friend in college, giving the game a try upon his friend's recommendation. He told Famitsu, "It was a beautiful, untold experience and story that I had never imagined, and I'm very sorry to my friend, but I was quietly moved and silent." Miyazaki went on to express how the game changed his life and further congratulated Ico and the creator (Fumito Ueda) on the 20th anniversary of the game's launch. Without Ico, Miyazaki likely would not go on to make Dark Souls - one of the most influential video game franchises to date.
Besides earning the praise of the Dark Souls creator, the original article highlights Ico's impact on other titans in the entertainment world. Masahiro Sakurai (Super Smash Bros.), Neil Druckmann (The Last of Us), and Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth) are just a few of the talented people whose creativity was reportedly fueled by Ico. The game's objective - navigating a giant crumbling castle with a mysterious young girl - inspired many with its unique art style and brilliant direction. Fumito Ueda has since gone on to make stunning games like Shadow of the Colossus and The Last Guardian, and news of the developer's (of genDESIGN studio) new game has been teased with hopefully a major reveal coming in the near future.
The limitations on hardware power in the early 2000s likely forced game developers to be creative with little resources, which led to some truly stunning games like Ico inspiring some of the best entertainers in today's industry. Incredible to think that - without the game about the young boy with horns leading a strange girl through a castle - gamers might not have had the chance to play Dark Souls or battle the disgusting flesh monster known as The One Reborn in Bloodborne. Miyazaki's moving praise for Ico and its director also serve as a grounding reminder that even the most admired auteurs in the gaming world have to find inspiration somewhere.
Sources: Video Game Chronicle, Famitsu, IGN