Welcome to the latest episode of Past Games, a Patreon-exclusive monthly series that uncovers the histories of 2026's biggest and most consequential gaming anniversaries. New episodes premiere on the first Monday of each month.

This Month on Past Games: The History of Dark Souls (2011)

Act 1: From a Software Company to FromSoft

Act 2: The Making of Dark Souls

Act 3: The Dark Souls Cottage Industry

Guests:

Keza MacDonald: Video Games Editor, The Guardian / Co-Author of You Died

Jason Killingsworth: Founder & Creative Director, Tune & Fairweather / Co-Author of You Died

Closing Song: Overture To "Tannhäuser" by Richard Wagner. Conducted by Leonard Bernstein with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra

Act 1: From a Software Company to FromSoft

The History of From Software (IGN)

Company History (FromSoftware)

King's Field (Wiki)

Demon's Souls (Wiki)

Keza's Demon's Souls review (Eurogamer)

Fighting Fantasy (Wiki)

Sony Talks The Last Guardian, Demon's Souls, And The Vita Launch (Game Informer)

Shuhei Yoshida Thought Demon's Souls Was Rubbish (PushSquare)

One Night in Skyrim Makes a Strong Man Crumble (Grantland)

Nibelungenlied (Wiki)

Beowulf (Wiki)

Game of Thrones (Wiki)

Michael Moorcock (Wiki)

Act 2: The Making of Dark Souls

Dark Souls: Remastered (Steam)

Keza's Dark Souls review (IGN)

2009 Game of the Year Finalist Debate: Demon’s Souls (Kotaku)

Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (Wiki)

The Legend of Zelda: A Link ot the Past (Wiki)

What Dark Souls Is Really All About (Kotaku)

Hell Yes, 100-Hour Video Games Are Worthwhile (Kotaku)

Every GameSpot Game Of The Year (GameSpot)

Act 3: The Dark Souls Cottage Industry

You Died: Digital Edition (Tune & Fairweather)

You Died: The Dark Souls Companion: ‘Way of White’ edition (Tune & Fairweather)

Tune & Fairweather's Free Samplers (Tune & Fairweather)

Process: A Novel (Tune & Fairweather)

Edge Magazine (Wiki)

Pushing Buttons newsletter (The Guardian)

Super Nintendo: The Game-Changing Company That Unlocked the Power of Play by Keza MacDonald (Penguin Random House)

Nintendo Gets the History Book It Deserves (Keza MacDonald) (Patreon.com/PostGames)

Closing Song: Overture To "Tannhäuser" by Richard Wagner

Conducted by Leonard Bernstein with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. (Archive.org)