Dark Souls 3 is the "turning point" in the franchise and will pave the way for something new, according to series creator Hidetaka Miyazaki.

Speaking in an interview with GameSpot, Miyazaki was asked if he has given any thought to expanding the Souls series beyond fantasy and into other genres such as sci-fi.

"Dark Souls is my life’s work," he replied. "Everything I came up with for Dark Souls 3 is based on my personal preferences. However, Dark Souls 3 is also actually the turning point for the franchise."

Pressed on whether he would explore the sci-fi or mech genres, perhaps by applying the Souls framework to them, Miyazaki said he "definitely wants to bring the Miyazaki Touch" to them.

Miyazaki, who previously served in directorial and design capacities on Demon's Souls, Dark Souls, and Bloodborne, was appointed president of developer From Software in May 2014.

As part of his remit as president, Miyazaki intends to launch "several new projects," but didn't specify what these would be.

"I do want to work on something new," he added. "I’m pleased to hear people are interested in seeing that."

Dark Souls 3 is scheduled to launch in early 2016 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.

The Dark Souls franchise has now shipped around 8.5 million copies across its previous instalments. This figure does not include sales of From Software's other popular games, Demon's Souls and Bloodborne.

Take a look at some screenshots from Dark Souls 3 below.