A 2D version of Dark Souls III was pitched to Bandai Namco. Artist reveals what could have been

Artist Thomas Feichtmeir revealed an image for a 2D version of Dark Souls III on November 8, stating that the proposed project was planned to be a Metroidvania title. Now that it is no longer under NDA, Feichtmeir has posted a visual made for the project to their Twitter.

The image looks to be a 2D version of Dark Souls III. We can see the boss of the High Wall of Lothric, Dancer of the Boreal Valley, along with familiar items like a sword, shield, and Estus Flask recreated through pixel art. Feichtmeir contributed to making artwork for the proposal. While the idea was pitched to Bandai Namco Entertainment (Bandai Namco), it sounds like it was rejected for one reason or another.

According to Feichtmeir, the proposal was made around 6 years ago. Additionally, Dark Souls III was released six years ago, so the project may have been planned as a spinoff. Feichtmeir adds that the art was created to be “doable in the average budget estimations of metroidvanias back then,” which makes it sound like it would have been possible to make the game a reality.

Feichtmeir explains that FromSoftware likely wouldn’t have been involved or known about the pitch since Bandai Namco holds the IP. They also highlight that these kinds of pitches to IP holders are common and that some get made into games.

While the 2D Dark Souls III never came to be, Feichtmeir remained active as an artist and worked on Blasphemous, a brutal Metroidvania game that has sold over one million copies. Blasphemous also looks to be inspired by Dark Souls while taking the grotesque imagery even further. You can check out Blasphemous on PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch.

Written by. Nick Mosier based on the original Japanese article (original article’s publication date: 2022-11-09 09:48 JST)