Kadokawa shareholders demand Elden Ring two against Miyazakis will

Shareholder pressure on Kadokawa to force a sequel to Elden Ring, ignoring Hidetaka Miyazaki's stance, exposes a recurring conflict: the corporate profit motive tramples creativity. It is hypocritical that the same companies that boast about innovation demand to squeeze every success until it is exhausted. The solution lies in shielding the autonomy of creative teams through contracts that protect their artistic vision, prioritizing sustainable quality over immediate commercial exploitation.

boardroom conflict scene with a stylized Elden Ring game disc cracked in half on a polished wooden table, one side representing corporate greed with golden chains and stock graphs wrapped around it, the other side showing a shattered Erdtree motif, a lone game director figure standing apart from suited executives pointing angrily at financial projections on a holographic screen, cinematic lighting with cold blue corporate tones contrasting warm golden fantasy glow, photorealistic technical illustration, scattered concept art pages and a cracked tablet showing Miyazaki’s statement floating in mid-air, dramatic shadows, ultra-detailed textures on suits and table surface

The graphics engine as a battlefield between art and business 🎮

From a technical standpoint, forcing a sequel without the original director involves serious risks. Elden Ring stands out for its interconnected world design and combat systems that Miyazaki refined over years. A team without his leadership could generate a generic experience, using the same FromSoftware engine but without the artistic direction that made the title unique. Shareholders ignore that technical quality cannot be sustained without a coherent creative vision; rushing development only produces endless patches and disappointment among users.

Express sequels: the new high-risk sport for investors 💸

So now Kadokawa's shareholders have become experts in video game design. Surely their master plan includes launching Elden Ring 2 in a year, with microtransactions and a battle pass for bosses. Because nothing says respect for art like turning Malenia into a season pass. Meanwhile, Miyazaki is probably locking his Bloodborne 2 draft away, lest the same vultures discover it and demand an annual sequel.