Fans of FromSoftware's Dark Souls games are speculating about a mysterious PlayStation playtest recently held in the UK. No details were shared about the game beyond that its playtest was advertised to fans of the "Soulsborne" subgenre of action RPGs and that PlayStation UK hosted the event. Given the enthusiasm of Soulslike fans, it's perhaps unsurprising to hear that speculation has run wild. Predictions include Nioh developer Team Ninja's next game Rise of the Ronin, Bluepoint Games' next project, and even a new FromSoftware game.
Publicly advertised playtests for major game releases, particularly PlayStation releases, are rare. That doesn't mean that they don't happen, however. In 2022, a PlayStation playtest was advertised for a virtual reality racing game. That playtest is believed to have been for Gran Turismo 7's VR update. Japanese studio Polyphony Digital developed Gran Turismo 7, and while it does have studios in the US and the Netherlands, a UK playtest for the game was a major surprise.
News that a new PlayStation-hosted playtest was held between October 10 and October 13 understandably stirred up a lot of excitement and speculation. But, like with the Gran Turismo 7 VR playtest, exactly what game is being playtested remains a complete mystery. The only clue is that the playtest was advertised for "Soulsborne Fans" and featured an image with the box art for Elden Ring, Dark Souls 3, Bloodborne, and Wo Long.
Wo Long's inclusion in the list is what's led to the most focused of speculation. Wo Long is a recent Soulslike release from Team Ninja, and while it reviewed decently well it's hardly a game looked at as a key example of the genre. As such, some believe its inclusion indicates the playtest might be for Team Ninja's next game Rise of the Ronin. Rise of the Ronin is being published by Sony for release on PS5 in 2024. It was only recently announced during a September PlayStation State of Play event.
There are certainly other possibilities for what the playtest could be. PlayStation's fans would love for a sequel to Bloodborne to be announced, which Sony owns the rights to. Bluepoint Games' next release after the PS5 launch's Demon's Souls remake is also a mystery. There's also FromSoftware's next game to be considered, as well. All of these possibilities may be wishful thinking, however.
All this speculation might be for naught, however. There are any number of Soulslike games being developed at a given time, from a variety of exciting developers. It may not be Rise of the Ronin, which isn't necessarily a Souls-like game anyway. It may not be a FromSoftware game or anything related to its past releases. Still, Soulslike fans on PlayStation have a mystery worth looking forward to, to be revealed in the hopefully not-so-distant future.