Elden Ring composer leaves FromSoftware after 12 years

Famed FromSoftware composer Yuka Kitamura has announced that she's leaving the company.

Kitamura took to Twitter to announce her departure, explaining that she's making the switch to freelance composer after being with FromSoftware for 12 years. No specific reason was given for her exit beyond the desire to begin composing as a freelance artist starting this month.

"I would like to continue to express myself in game music through various genres of music," she added. "I hope you will look forward to my music in the future!" Over on Kitamura's new official website, you can listen to a selection of samples of the composer's work hand-picked by Kitamura herself.

Kitamura's career at FromSoftware started in 2011 with composer role on 2013's Armored Core: Verdict Day, having subsequently contributed to Dark Souls 2, Dark Souls 3, Bloodborne, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, and Elden Ring, which has won several awards for its music. It's unclear if Kitamura worked on FromSoftware's next game, Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon, launching August 25.

Our Armored Core 6 hands-on preview is filled with uncertainty and apprehension despite what seems like a solid foundation. "There is, appropriately enough, a good core to Fires of Rubicon - but there's some shaky design choices around it that just hold it back too often to let me be wholly enthusiastic about it," wrote GR's Joel Franey. "Depending on what the final game does with this core, it could upgrade into something pretty fun, or run headlong into the scrap heap."

For more, check out our ranking of the best gaming soundtracks.