10 Rejected Video Game Ideas Literally EVERYONE Would've Loved

Aside from being one of the most popular franchises in gaming today, Dark Souls has firmly left its mark on the industry as many franchises take influence from it or craft their own “Souls-like”.

In November 2022, artist Thomas Feitchmeir revealed a single screenshot that got the mouths of many gamers salivating. It was an image created for a direct pitch to Dark Souls IP holders Bandai Namco for 2D pixel art Metroidvania adaptation of Dark Souls III.

Feitchmeir is no stranger to the genre having worked on the excellent Blasphemous which released in 2019 and would’ve gone into development likely after this pitch was sadly shot down.

Which is a shame because it would’ve been a nice full circle for the inspirational FromSoftware franchise which has clearly had an impact on games like Dead Cells and Hollow Knight. More than that, Dark Souls is quite a self contained series which certainly has room for experimentation and spin-offs.

That may well be why Bandai Namco turned the idea down, to perhaps protect the purity of the brand.

Whilst it’s nice that other games have nestled into the space that this adaptation could’ve fit, it’s a no brainer that Dark Souls officially entering the Metroidvania realm could’ve been huge; transforming the genre most often associated with indie developers into a more seriously taken prospect.