Digital Extremes admits reaction to Soulframe "wasn't positive," but that's ok

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Soulframe is a game with a confused identity. From the name alone, you expect a blend of weighty, FromSoft-style combat fused with the high-octane bullet jumping and hacking and slashing of Warframe, Digital Extremes' flagship game. But in reality, it's a sprawling dark fantasy MMO that borrows elements of soulslike games and Warfame's unique aesthetics, but that's where the comparisons end. If you're a FromSoft veteran, its combat will leave you out in the cold, and longtime Warframe fans will find little to no similarities. That's how I felt when I played Preludes last year: the name simply didn't match the game.

It's something I've spoken about at length before, with my main concern being how the promises of 'Soul' and 'Frame' respectively just don't translate, turning people away from an MMORPG that has the potential to be really special. But a lot has changed since I last played Soulframe, with combat being heavily reworked to feel more akin to an action game rather than a traditional soulslike.

In a pre-Tennocon briefing, creative director Geoff Crookes stated that the overall plan is to address "people pigeonholing us as a hardcore game," noting that the mage build specifically can be played "a lot more casually."

I mention Crookes' statement to senior community manager Sarah Asselin and Digital Extremes' COO Sheldon Carter at Tennocon, asking if there's been a switch in direction for the game, or whether Soulframe in its current state is closer to the team's plans for the final product. "I'd say it's a bit of both," Asselin says. "We've had that creative vision with Soulframe that you can see throughout our Fables from the beginning with the Torment Stag and even Bromius The Waste Bear; these themes of redemption and restoration are really present. But, when we look at the game mechanics and the game design systems, these are what have really had a massive overhaul. A lot of that has been in response to player feedback throughout Preludes, especially with combat.

"Combat has had a massive overhaul, and I would say that for two [or] two and a half months, there was really intense work on the dev side of things after our demonstration last year to really improve. So it's definitely a blend: we've had this creative vision that's been there since the beginning that remains, but the Preludes feedback is really an example of how much community feedback matters to us and is at the core of what we do."

"That's why Tennocon is really cool," Carter continues. "It's the ultimate proving ground for us every year for both Soulframe and Warframe. Last year we came in and showed what we had [for Soulframe], and it's okay that the reaction to what we had wasn't overwhelmingly positive. That gives us the 'okay, here's the things we want to focus on, here's the things that the players are really engaging with.' So while we were proud of the demo we had last year, I think it was great to get that feedback.

"It feeds into our design philosophy at DE - it's community-driven. It's humbling when you get that feedback," he says with a laugh, "but it's also part of our DNA and it's exciting to see the demo this year to see how far combat has come."

"It's one of those aspects of being really transparent," Asselin says. "You're sometimes going to get positive, affirming feedback, and sometimes you're going to get that constructive criticism. But that's sort of the way we operate, and either way it's a win, because it's 'okay great, they love it,' or 'how do we improve to get to where they love it?'"

I ask Asselin and Carter about Crookes' point specifically: when I played Preludes last year, I found the combat to be very soulslike, with perfect parries and dodges feeling almost mandatory. The caster build showcased during The Waste Bear demo, however, feels completely different, so I ask if the plan is to continue down more of a casual action RPG vein, or whether there'll still be the opportunity to up the challenge.

"We want Soulframe to be accessible to those who want a more casual playstyle - the new caster-type magic weapons are supposed to feel that way," Asselin says. "With the future Combat Manual [a series of new upgrades that will allow you to hone your playstyle further], we want there to be the opportunity for you to get into that style. Maybe you really love parrying and that's your thing, and you want to go hardcore into that, or maybe you want to run around and destroy people with your magic like I love to do - we want there to be accessibility for the majority of people."

"When you look at the Souls comparison or start seeing Elden Ring  - we think that Elden Ring is a big, beautiful game, and what if you like that, but it's too hard? That's a huge area that we're interested in," Carter continues. "There are various levels on any team: there are people like Geoff [Crookes] who really like that perfect parry, but there are a lot of us who want to play a game where you can play as a caster, or use a bow.

"It's the elements that we love about Zelda, and the elements that we love about Elden Ring, and then it's the progression systems that the team is working on that are going to allow you to go deeper if you want to."

As someone who hasn't played Preludes in a while, I'm excited to return to Alca. I'll hold up my hands and say that I'm not great at soulslikes, and after the demo last year, I really felt like I'd struggle to get into Soulframe. Thankfully, I'm a sucker for mage builds and long-range weapons, so it's all coming up Lauren.

While the Soulframe release date remains a mystery (although DE tells me it's likely to fall into 2026), there's a whole slew of exciting new content for Warframe - including our first-ever Tau campaign. If it's Soulframe's immaculate vibes that have drawn you in, though, we have a list of all the best fantasy games to keep you busy in the meantime.

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