Dark Souls
"Dark Souls" was developed by FromSoftware, with series creator Hidetaka Miyazaki directing and producing. "Dark Souls" is a spiritual successor to FromSoftware's cult classic previous game, "Demon's Souls" (which was, in turn, a spiritual successor to FromSoftware's earlier "King's Field" series). However, "Demon's Souls" was published by Sony and "Dark Souls" by Bandai Namco; this transfer meant that intellectual property rights prevented FromSoftware from making a sequel. After two years of development, "Dark Souls" was released with its numerous similarities (such as the gameplay, online multiplayer, and plot presentation) and differences (such as a connected world and new characters in a distinct universe and storyline) from its predecessor.