Dark Souls III - Interview @ Wired

Hidetaka Miyazaki is interviewed by Wired about Dark Souls III, it's difficulty, potential expansion to other genres and the ways the game is played.

WIRED: As far back as 2009's Demon's Souls, your games have been renowned for their difficulty. What compels you to make such challenging experiences?
Hidetaka Miyazaki: I have no intention to make the game more difficult than other titles on purpose! It's just something required to make this style of game. Ever since Demon's Souls, I've really been pursuing making games that give players a sense of accomplishment by overcoming tremendous odds. We've added new items and weapons over the course of the series, and having a certain level of difficulty adds value to those because they incentivise players to experiment more with character builds and weapon load-outs.

Do you intend for player classes to be balanced, depending on player skill? Or are some deliberately underpowered, to create that greater sense of accomplishment?
It really does depend on the classes. They can drastically impact the overall 'difficulty' of the game. I want players to consider how to complete each stage using each class, utilising their strengths and weaknesses. There are different approaches, in both your route through certain areas of the game and how you maximise the attributes of each class. If you choose thief, for example, you'll need to be a lot faster and more careful than if you chose a warrior. Thieves don't have particularly powerful, big attacks, whereas charactets who can use magic, like the pyromancer, have an advantage -- their weapons and items give them an elemental edge. Each player should come up with their own approach to conquering environments in Dark Souls III.

Thanks Couch.