Isn't the true souls team working on Dark Souls 2? From Software or not, there was a specific core of staff that made the series what it was no?
The same team is working on the game, but the director, Hidetaka Miyazaki, moved onto a new game.
This could be that game he has been working on.
It should be mentioned that Miyazaki has some kind of role in overseeing Dark Souls II development, but how much influence he has in the production of the game has been questioned several times.