Dark Souls 2 Went Current-Gen For Quicker Release, New Engine Mends Framerate Woes

From Software made a a critical decision to stick with current-generation consoles for its next title, Dark Souls 2. Fans have questioned its choice, and now have an answer.

Yui Tanimura, producer of Dark Souls 2, explained to CVG that pushing the title to current platforms was done to ensure the quickest development cycle possible. He said:

Discussions of next-gen did actually come up briefly, but if we were to develop for next-gen we wouldn't be able to deliver the game for a lot longer. We wanted to deliver something to fans as soon as possible.

Dark Souls 2 is coming out next year meaning it'll have had almost three years of time and labor put into it by the time it hits store shelves. Some would argue that the framerate issues in Dark Souls—Blighttown, anyone?—would be reason alone to extend development and utilize new hardware. However, From Software has countered that problem with a new engine. Tanimura added the following regarding the engine:

One of the reasons we implemented a new engine was to remedy that drop in frame rate Dark Souls would suffer. For this title we're hoping players don't have to worry about that sort of issue, the new engine should help to solve that.

The latest trailer shows the smooth framerate From Software is aiming for coupled with improved visuals. The areas are far more expansive, and the new effects, such as the dynamic lighting given off by torches, make the game as tense as ever.

Below is the new trailer for your viewing pleasure:

With the amount of success the Souls series is having, it's only a matter of time before the PS4 gets a release, or better yet the PC doesn't get a trashy port. Before then, we'll just have to endure another 40 hours of what appears to be the best release yet.