Alden Ring, Dark Souls director becomes second game dev to make Time’s 100 Most Influential People list

Hidetaka Miyazaki is president of FromSoftware and one of the all-time great game directors, having helmed Demon’s Souls, Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Alden Ring (which has sold over 20 million copies of the original). In recognition of this, the author has been named a creator Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2023For innovation.

Only the second video game developer ever to be featured (Shigeru Miyamoto was honored in 2007), the list compiles notables from all walks of life; Politicians, musicians, athletes, people who excel in one field or another, or contribute to making the world a better place. Miyazaki, the hapless architect of Blight Town, the same guy who signed the position of Anor Londo’s archers, will take his rightful place among them.

FromSoftware, under Miyaziki’s leadership, has become one of the premier developers in the industry, with imitators and few equals. “Soulslike” has officially entered our collective gaming lexicon, with the descriptor conjuring a certain combination of weighted combat, frantic exploration, and labyrinthine level design much like Metroidvania or Roguelike do.

It’s great to see him recognized, and we wonder if anyone else on that list can claim to have caused as much collective anxiety, fear, anger, and frustration as Miyazaki did with Sekiro alone. It features different world leaders, so the jury may still be out. What do you think about Miyazaki’s achievements and making Time100? Let us know in the comments section below.