Elden Ring's Hidetaka Miyazaki has said that the challenge of From Software's game is "not something [the studio is] willing to abandon", even though he himself "dies a lot" in games.
"We are always looking to improve, but, in our games specifically, hardship is what gives meaning to the experience," Miyazaki told the New Yorker. "So it's not something we're willing to abandon at the moment. It's our identity."
That said, he understands that some may find "there's just too much to overcome" as he admits he has "never been a very skilled player".
"I've never been a very skilled player," Miyazaki added. "I die a lot. So, in my work, I want to answer the question: If death is to be more than a mark of failure, how do I give it meaning? How do I make death enjoyable?
"I do feel apologetic toward anyone who feels there's just too much to overcome in my games," Miyazaki added. "I just want as many players as possible to experience the joy that comes from overcoming hardship."
ICYMI, Elden Ring publisher Bandai Namco has acknowledged various performance problems with the game, and particularly with its PC build. As Eurogamer reported earlier this week, Elden Ring currently sits with a "mixed" Steam user rating despite its widespread critical acclaim. Many negative reviews note the game's current visual stutters on PC.
Digital Foundry listed this visual stutter among a number of issues it had uncovered during an early appraisal of the game with its current 1.02 patch applied.
On a brighter note, the CEO of development studio Pocketpair gave the entire team the day off on Friday so that they could play Elden Ring.
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