According to reliable Chinese journalist Giwin, The Duskbloods was greenlit before 2019 — that is, earlier than the marketing cycle for Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice began. At the same time, The Duskbloods spent significantly more time in the gameplay prototyping and validation stage than any other project the studio has undertaken in its history.
The game is positioned as a PvPvE project with «many innovative elements» that the developers are particularly proud of. Among the mechanics mentioned are a contract system, "nemeses," and several different victory conditions.
In April 2025, Hidetaka Miyazaki, in an interview with Nintendo (as part of the Creator’s Voice section), revealed that The Duskbloods was initially being developed by a small team as an exclusive for the original Nintendo Switch. The transition to Switch 2 apparently opened up new technical possibilities and became one of the reasons for such a lengthy prototyping phase.