There's no denying that Elden Ring creator Hidetaka Miyazaki has had a profound impact on the video game industry. The FromSoftware Representative Director and President helped to lead the studio as it released some of the most challenging yet beloved games of the last few console generations. And now he's being recognized for it by a very prestigious outlet.The man behind Demon Souls, Dark Souls, Bloodborne, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, and, of course, Elden Ring, received quite the honor today. Each year, Time Magazine unveils its list of the Time 100 Most Influential People. And for 2023, Hidetaka Miyazaki was recognized as one of the world's most prominent innovators. Miyazaki's Time 100 Most Influential People entry places him among titans. Also included under the Innovators category are Disney CEO Bob Iger, France soccer superstar (and God of War mod cosmetic) Kylian Mbappe, actress Natasha Lyonne, comedian Nathan Fielder, and numerous others. Each Time 100 entry is written by someone of note. Miyazaki's was written by a big fan of his and quite the video game innovator in his own right, Naughty Dog Co-President Neil Druckmann.
Druckmann, the creator of both the Uncharted and The Last of Us franchises on Sony's PlayStation systems, wrote glowingly of Miyazaki. Even if the Naughty Dog head didn't quite appreciate his work at first. Druckmann starts his piece stating he was "miserable" the first time that he attempted to jump into one of Miyazaki's titles. But then Neil details for the audience how players have to learn to play Miyazaki's games in a certain way. Adventurers have to take their time and approach scenarios with a more thoughtful purpose. With that in mind it "all of a sudden clicked."
Druckmann deems Miyazaki as "a great ambassador for video games" and celebrates the specific ways in which his titles evoke an emotional response. Druckmann, one of the executive producers on HBO's hit adaptation of The Last of Us, also notes that Miyazaki's games promote feelings "that a passive medium like TV can never re-create." He specifically lauds Miyazaki and his team at FromSoftware for their ability to craft rewarding experiences and their decision to rarely hold a player's hand for too long.
Time's recognition of Miyazaki is in no way his first prominent accolade. In 2018, Miyazaki was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at that year's Golden Joystick Awards. In 2022, he was presented with a Special Award for his work as a game developer at the Japanese CEDEC Awards. Miyazaki was also honored with the Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry Award at the 2022 Japan Game Awards. And that's not counting all the awards that Elden Ring has accrued.
Elden Ring is currently available for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.