Dark Souls director Hidetaka Miyazaki says Ico is the reason he got into games

Dark Souls series director Hidetaka Miyazaki cites Ico as the reason he got into games, and the overall mythology of the game and its successors as something he still seeks to match.

A number of high-profile game makers and artists from other industries spoke to Famitsu about Ico, the first game from its eponymous Team Ico, in celebration of its 20th anniversary earlier this year. Among the quoted were Miyazaki, whose comments were translated to English by VGC.

Miyazaki explained that he had spent some time away from video games after graduating college and starting a career outside of the industry. Then a friend recommended he try Ico, and Miyazaki proceeded to play through the game at this friend's house "quietly moved and silent" by "a beautiful, untold experience and story that I had never imagined."

“And that’s when I left the company I was working for at the time and started working for FromSoftware," Miyazaki explained. “I’m not exaggerating when I say it was the game that changed my life, and I’m proud that it was Ico and it was [Ico director Fumito] Ueda's game.

“Congratulations on the 20th anniversary of Ico, Mr. Ueda. As a fan, I’m looking forward to your new games. The mythology that runs through your games, including Ico, has always been a goal of mine.”

Miyazaki's next project, Elden Ring, is due to arrive in February. We're still waiting to see what Ueda does next, with our last look at his new game being a small art teaser from the start of 2021.

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