If you can believe it, Bloodborne came out in 2015. That's six years ago. Since its release, Dark Souls 3, Sekiro, and the Demon's Souls Remake have come out, and Elden Ring isn't far off. Nonetheless, Bloodborne remains one of if not the most beloved game in famed developer FromSoftware's catalog. Accordingly, many are curious if there's any news about a new game, a remake, remaster, PC port, anything in the world of Bloodborne.
Don't worry: In this article, we'll tell you everything you need to know about what is (and unfortunately isn't) coming in terms of Bloodborne content.
Why Bloodborne 2 Isn't FromSoftware's Call
Like the very first Souls game ever, Demon's Souls, Sony actually owns the larger Bloodborne intellectual property. This won't come as a surprise to many, since Bloodborne like Demon's Souls is a PlayStation exclusive, but unfortunately this means that it isn't FromSoftware's call as to whether or not more Bloodborne content comes out.
Whether it's a sequel, a remake, a remaster, more DLC, a port, or whatever else, it'll need Sony's support. However, unless there was a remake/remaster situation with a studio like Bluepoint, which Sony actually purchased in September 2021, taking on development duties, FromSoftware would still likely need to be involved in any future Bloodborne content.
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And while FromSoftware is a big, successful studio, to keep quality high, the team can only work on so many projects at once. And both Miyazaki's game-direction track record as well as FromSoftware's larger catalog suggest a relative disinterest in developing sequels as opposed to working on new IP.
Even if FromSoftware had the time, resources, and creative vision to develop Bloodborne 2, Sony isn't likely to greenlight a Bloodborne sequel: If Sony wanted to give Bloodborne a second life, a simple remaster or port of the game would sell extremely well, while a new deal with FromSoftware would ideally be for a PS5 exclusive IP at the scale of Elden Ring.
There are rumors, albeit completely unverified rumors, of FromSoftware working on a spiritual successor to Bloodborne that will be a PS5 exclusive. While we can't confirm this, such a project is inevitably going to be much more likely than a Bloodborne sequel, especially since FromSoftware has done one PlayStation exclusive Soulsborne game per generation since the PS3/360 era.
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Sorry folks. It could happen, technically, because Bloodborne is well-liked by gamers even today, but there isn't any reason to think we'll see more new Bloodborne content coming anytime soon. A remake, remaster, or port, though, is a different story.
The Case for a Bloodborne Remake, Remaster, or Port
While Bloodborne 2 probably isn't happening, and a spiritual successor wouldn't release for years even if it is being developed, a Bloodborne remake, remaster, or port is a lot more likely. That isn't to say that each of those are equally likely, though, because Bloodborne is far too modern a game to warrant a Demon's Souls-style remake.
However, a remaster or port is not just possible but even probable, if you think about it. First, it's clear that Sony understands the value of their FromSoft IP: They would not have remade Demon's Souls (the most niche mainline release in FromSoftware's modern output) if they didn't understand the value there.
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So, why remake Demon's Souls when you own the rights to Bloodborne? Well, first off, you aren't going to get many gamers to buy an expensive new console like the PS5 by remastering a PS4 game they can already play on PS5 through backward compatibility.
Since Demon's Souls is much older than Bloodborne and a much more appropriate fit for a remake, it makes sense to develop this remake first and hold off on a Bloodborne remaster so as to not cannibalize the sales of one with the other.
Why then, a year after the release of Demon's Souls Remake, is there no word on a Bloodborne remaster with Bluepoint also on record as developing their first original IP as their next project and not a Bloodborne remaster? No doubt, any work on such a project would be set back by COVID. On top of that, it's likely that such a remaster wouldn't just come to PS5 but would also come to PC, which would increase development time.
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Sony continues to release once-exclusive games on PC and has pledged to keep doing so. The games they tend to bring over to PC aren't iconic modern PlayStation franchises, outside of the upcoming Uncharted PC release, but are rather older entries in newer IP, like Horizon Zero Dawn, Days Gone, or Detroit: Become Human.
Bloodborne is another perfect candidate for a PC release, but Sony seems dedicated to spacing out these releases. Uncharted isn't due out on PC (and PS5) until 2022, while Sony didn't even begin bringing games to PC until the end of 2019, only four years after Bloodborne's original release and only a year out from their Demon's Soul Remake.
So, if we can expect Sony not to oversaturate the market when it comes to both FromSoftware games and PC releases, the earliest we could expect a Bloodborne remaster is late 2022.
However, there's another good reason why Sony might be holding back on a Bloodborne remaster announcement: If there really is a new Bloodborne spiritual successor PS5 exclusive game in development at FromSoftware. Sony has had exclusive agreements with FromSoftware to develop Demon's Souls for PS3 and Bloodborne for PS4, so a new IP for PS5 wouldn't be too crazy to imagine being in development.
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And if that is the case, using a Bloodborne remaster to drum up hype and excitement for FromSoftware's next big game would be a great marketing move, especially if this all goes down at a future date when PS5 stock isn't so limited.
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