Bloodborne: When Will We Get a Remaster?

Bloodborne was released between Dark Souls II and Dark Souls III, being considered an honorary Souls for preserving many of the series' mechanics, but bringing new elements that would be maintained in future games in the series. The game was released in 2015 as a PlayStation 4 exclusive.

Recently, in the video celebrating PlayStation's 30th anniversary, the game appeared with the phrase It's About Persistence, which left fans anxious and brought back rumors of a possible Remaster or Remake.

Bloodborne is a milestone in the Souls series, even though it’s not officially a Dark Souls, because in addition to bringing all the mechanics and striking features which Hidetaka Miyazaki puts into his games, this is where the Souls experience is elevated to another level, preparing the ground for the future in Dark Souls 3 and Elden Ring.

Demon Souls and Dark Souls I have already gotten their remasters. So, why has Bloodborne, which is one of the most beloved games among fans, still hasn’t received its remastered version or even an official version for the PC?

There are several reasons I can cite as to why this game deserves a remaster, but I'll stick to the main ones.

Ambience

Unlike other Souls games, which take place in a medieval world, where castles, dungeons and dragons are a common element, Bloodborne takes place in a kind of Victorian Era with a very pronounced Gothic influence present in the Level and Character Design.

Yharnam, the city where the game takes place, has clear references to 19th century England, a period when the British Empire was at its peak, but in Bloodborne we do not see elements of the Industrial Revolution as it occurred in the real world, with the possible exception of the weapons used by the hunters.

Lore

Just like other Souls games, Bloodborne also has a complex story that is explained a lot through the description of items and characters. However, the big difference here is how the game's story moves from Horror and dives into the Cosmic Horror genre, influenced by H.P. Lovecraft.

One moment you find yourself facing creatures that resemble werewolves, and the next you are faced with abyssal horrors from outer space. The entire hunter saga is incredible, with strong, remarkable characters and bosses with an increasingly original design that matches the story very well.

Gameplay

The most significant difference is the gameplay. Bloodborne is a milestone among Soulslikes for leaving behind the more rhythmic gameplay of Dark Souls I and II, which relied heavily on the character's defense and resistance, to give way to agile combat, where dodging is the main protagonist, which makes perfect sense with the game's setting.

If in Dark Souls, you’ll most of the time be a knight and armored warrior, in Bloodborne you are a hunter covered in leather, fast and agile, who needs to be prepared to hunt efficiently. This is reflected in the in-game mechanics, such as the way in which Bloodborne prioritizes parry over blocking with shields.

In Dark Souls III, there was a huge leap in gameplay evolution compared to previous games and it’s clear that the success of Bloodborne would make the developer apply all the positive qualities of the game to their later releases.

Elden Ring is currently FromSoftware's biggest success, acclaimed by players and critics and also a milestone in the history of games, and all thanks to the work that began in the Souls series and was perfected in Bloodborne.

So why haven't FromSoftware and Sony released a Remaster for Bloodborne yet? The reasons can be many. The game was released as a PS4 exclusive and there are some possible complications with re-releasing it on a platform like PC (it's likely that we'll have a PS5 version before that). The costs of making a port of this type are a big investment and, despite the hype, there is a possibility that Sony won’t see this venture as profitable.

Another strong reason is that Sony holds exclusivity and prefers to keep it that way, saving the re-release of this success for the right time. Sony is currently in negotiations with Kadokawa Corporation, FromSoftware’s parent company, and Sony's interest in acquiring this company has existed since 2022, when they acquired a percentage of the company's shares. It’s not hard to imagine that, after this acquisition, Sony will invest in Bloodborne again with another exclusive, this time PS5 with new graphics at 60 FPS. Now, whether that would be good for fans is another story.

Bloodborne is a masterpiece of gaming, and without a doubt, it’s one of the most requested possible remakes by gamers. It’s worth noting that the game recently received a fan-made mod which allows it to run on PC and, apparently, it appears to be very playable. However, this and the issue of piracy are probably more reasons why the game hasn’t yet received a Remake/Remaster. All we have left is to wait and hope that this day will come.

I finish another article here. Leave your questions, suggestions, criticisms and/or compliments in the comments. Thanks for reading, and see you next time.