One online rumor, which has managed to gain a wee bit of traction, claimsFromSoftware’s next Souls project is called Project Abyss and has a huge focus on corrupted water. Now, it should be noted that the company previously claimed its next game was in the final stages of development, with many fans believingFromSoftware is working onArmored Core 6. Beyond that is currently unknown to any degree.
However, before getting into this rumor, it’s worth noting that it’s likely fake. The original source comes from 4chan, and that’s the first big indicator. That’s not to say everything from that site is fake, but it’s definitely points against any rumor. Furthermore, a couple of things about the rumor come off as unlikely, but as a whole, the concept would make for an interestingFromSoftware Soulsborne gameor a Soulslike.
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What the Soulslike ‘Project Abyss’ Rumors Claim
The rumor claims the game plays much like “Dark Souls 3.5,” but with a smaller scope and budget than past games, indicating something similar to a spin-off of the franchise. It is said to take place in the “Dark Souls universe,” but so far removed that it may as well be something else entirely, especially given its supposed setting. The leaker claims it may or may not make it into the final version of the game, but that the game is set during the Age of the Deep Sea foreseen byDark Souls 3’s Aldrich, Devourer of Gods and Saint of the Deep. He foresaw a world where human souls fall to the depths of The Deep and become shackles, binding the world. Whatever this vision foretold, if anything, it enabled Aldrich to reach a level of corruption and darkness that set him apart from his peers.
The game is set in a coastal region alongside a vast ocean, where players spend a lot of time in fishing villages and seaside temples, fighting dark shadowy sea creatures that seemingly crawl out of the ocean. Of course, it includes mentions of new weapons and a very Souls-oriented combat style, though its magic system is said to be something new entirely because theMiracles and Pyromancies ofDark Soulshave been forgotten.
Interestingly enough, it should be noted thatmost FromSoftware games place a special emphasis on fire, and so to see it potentially go in the opposite direction (water) would be very interesting. It sounds like a game where the fishing hamlet andOrphan of Kos area ofBloodborne’s DLCwas basically its entirety, if expanded. The “gimmick” or unique approach of the game would be a dual-level design, where each map was explorable on land and the other on the seafloor, the Deep, and that in and of itself has a ton of promise for a Souls title.
Why FromSoftware’s Project Abyss Rumor is Likely False
Dark Souls 2has its ardent defenders and its absolute haters. There’s a lot to be said about its development and the extent of involvement by Hidetaka Miyazaki, but that’s all in the past.FromSoftwarehas moved on and released a number of great games since then, includingBloodborne, Dark Souls 3, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, and of course,Elden Ring. But a huge chunk of this rumor hinges on “drama” supposedly stirred up duringDark Souls 2.
The Project Abyss rumor claims it is led solely by Yui Tanimura, co-director ofElden Ring, who received a lot of negative attention because ofDark Souls 2, he and Tomohiro Shibuya that is. The narrative has changed a lot since then, and many believe that Tanimura has a bright future at FromSoftware. That may be. However, this rumor claims Project Abyss is led by Tanimura to give him a game that detaches him fromDark Souls 2’s stigma and as a test to see if FromSoftware can manage a game without Miyazaki, which just sounds iffy.Dark Souls 2was 8 years ago, Tanimura and FromSoftware as a whole have proven themselves since then, and it’s an odd basis for a game.
As a result, this entire Project Abyss rumor sounds false. Stranger things have happened than a 4chan rumor proving legit though, and there’s no denying how interesting this game sounds. It’s one fans may want to believe and, detached from the odd anti-Dark Souls 2sentiment of it, it could make for a great game. Fans will just have to wait and see what comes next for FromSoftware, especially as it is likely focusing its current work onElden RingDLC.
Elden Ringis available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
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