Today marks the 10th anniversary of Bloodborne, and fans are commemorating the occasion by organizing another "Return to Yharnam" community event.
FromSoftware's PlayStation 4 masterpiece debuted on March 24, 2015, and played a pivotal role in establishing the Japanese studio as one of the industry's finest. Following widespread critical and commercial success, a follow-up in the style of the Dark Souls sequels seemed like a given.
Yet, in the years since... nothing has materialized. Why hasn't Sony pursued a current-generation remaster, a full sequel, or at the very least a next-gen update to officially enable 60fps gameplay? Since its launch, fans have persistently requested more Bloodborne content. Sony's ongoing silence on the matter remains one of the gaming industry's most baffling business decisions.
Earlier this year, a potential explanation emerged. After departing from Sony, PlayStation veteran Shuhei Yoshida shared his personal theory for the absence of Bloodborne follow-ups. He clarified in an interview with Kinda Funny Games that this was speculation, not insider information regarding Sony's current internal discussions.
"Bloodborne is consistently the most requested title," Yoshida stated. "People are genuinely curious why we haven't pursued even a simple update or remaster. It should be straightforward, right? Given the company's history with numerous remasters, some fans understandably feel frustrated."
"I can only offer my personal perspective on the situation. Having left first-party development, I'm not privy to current plans. My theory is—and I recall this clearly—Miyazaki-san held a deep, personal affection for Bloodborne and his creative vision. While I believe he remains interested, his tremendous success and demanding schedule prevent him from leading a new project personally. At the same time, he may prefer that others don't handle it. That's my hypothesis. The PlayStation team likely respects his position. Again, this is purely theoretical—I'm not disclosing any confidential information."
Miyazaki-san refers to Hidetaka Miyazaki, the visionary director leading FromSoftware. His track record speaks for itself, from the influential Dark Souls franchise to the recent mainstream phenomenon Elden Ring, which elevated the studio to unprecedented success. This momentum even led to a multiplayer spin-off scheduled for release later this year.
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It's evident that Miyazaki's schedule is packed with multiple directorial responsibilities and corporate leadership duties. After Bloodborne's 2015 release, he directed Dark Souls 3, followed by 2019's Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice for Activision, and later Elden Ring for Bandai Namco. His next project remains unannounced.
In interviews, Miyazaki typically deflects questions about Bloodborne, emphasizing that FromSoftware doesn't control the intellectual property rights. However, in February of last year, he conceded that the game would indeed benefit from a release on more modern hardware.
Over the years, modders have attempted to bridge the gap with fan projects enhancing the original PS4 Bloodborne experience. However, Sony has demonstrated limited tolerance for these efforts. In January, prominent Bloodborne 60fps modder Lance McDonald disclosed that he received a takedown notice from Sony Interactive Entertainment, demanding removal of his patch links from the internet, which he complied with. This DMCA action occurred four years after the mod's initial release.
Just one week later, Lilith Walther, creator of Nightmare Kart (previously known as Bloodborne Kart) and the visually striking Bloodborne PSX demake, tweeted that an older YouTube video of the demake had received a copyright claim.
More recently, enthusiasts achieved significant progress with PS4 emulators, effectively creating a remastered experience on PC. The technical analysts at Digital Foundry released a video exploring "a breakthrough in PS4 emulation" via ShadPS4, enabling complete playthroughs of Bloodborne at 60fps. Could this advancement have prompted a more assertive response from Sony? IGN reached out to Sony for comment but has not yet received a response.
With limited official information available, Bloodborne enthusiasts continue to take initiative by organizing Return to Yharnam community gatherings. Another event launches today, honoring the game's 10th anniversary, encouraging participants to create new characters, engage in random co-op and invasions, and leave in-game messages identifying their participation in this community initiative.
This grassroots movement may ultimately represent the only ongoing engagement for fans within the world of Bloodborne.
