Board Thread:Lore Discussion/@comment-24247569-20131219142513/@comment-6003396-20131222073216

A lot can happen in the development period of a game. There are many indications that much of the development was rushed, probably due to a limited budget and pressure from higher ups. It's not necessarily a reflection on the developers themselves. For example, while they occasionally had to rely on out of house artists, it's stated in that interview above that they only had six in-house conceptual artists. Amazing considering the size, depth, and detail of the game.

The success of Dark Souls was largely unpredicted. Perhaps because the concept and unconventional nature of the game was underestimated to begin with, they were given so few resources to work with. These limitations, along with other factors, can sometimes create a unique atmosphere, resulting in a unique product.

With the success of Dark Souls, Dark Souls II will undoubtedly have a larger budget to work with. While this will reduce some of the faults found in Dark Souls, a larger budget is not always a wholly good thing. More money means that there is more at stake, meaning the people fronting the money will try to have more influence. This probably had a factor in why Miyazaki is now on the sidelines and why the project is being handed over to two new co-directors. They will most likely have pressure to make it more accessible to a larger audience, potentially fucking with part of the reason for its original success. I'm speculating to some extent, but these are realistic concerns. I'm still looking forward to buying the game.