Fans of the Soulsborne series have been asking for a sequel to Bloodborne since the original game was released. The fast-paced, Lovecraftian-themed game became an instant classic and gave players a nice change of pace from the classic Dark Souls experience.
Even though a sequel to Bloodborne is highly unlikely, it is not entirely out of the question, but with the way the canon ending of the original game left the story, the second entry could risk drastically affecting the near-perfect ending of Bloodborne. That being said, the lore heavily focuses on what happened in the past that led to the current events of Yharnam but never fully delves into the details of the past. A new Bloodborne title set before the events of the first game could have serious potential.
Where the Canon Ending Left Bloodborne
Much like the other Soulsborne games, Bloodborne allows players to achieve multiple different endings, each with its own requirements and implications for the story. The ideal, or true, ending of Bloodborne is called Childhood's Beginnings, and it requires the player to find and consume three Third Umbilical Cord items before speaking to Gehrman at the end of their journey.
Once the player consumes the items and defeats Gehrman, they are confronted with a second final boss, the Moon Presence. As Bloodborne’s lore implies, once the player is able to defeat a Great One such as the Moon Presence, the hunter themselves is able to transcend their human form and become a Great One. The final scene of Bloodborne shows the Doll cradling the infant Great One and praising the good hunter.
The Childhood's Beginnings Bloodborne ending wraps up the hunter’s mission and would make it difficult to continue the storyline unless the developers introduce a new hunter who continues the hunt and search for insight. Though that is not exactly out of the realm of possibility, it would essentially be the same story retold. Many fans would not complain about a retelling of Bloodborne’s story; however, taking the next game in a different direction could flesh out the lore even further.
Bloodborne's Past is Rich with Lore
Not every game series would benefit from a prequel. The biggest downfall of creating a prequel is that the players know where the story goes and can likely put the pieces together themselves, creating an ineffective plotline. That being said, Bloodborne’s story has a lot of callbacks to hunters and beasts of the past. The beastly scourge that plagues Yharnam is shrouded in mystery but lore implies that past societies discovered and fell victim to the scourge before Yharnam.
The entire city of Old Yharnam is full of lore, from the Ashen Blood to the heretical Powder Kegs. Players explore the old, burnt-down city streets and only catch glimpses of what really occurred in Old Yharnam’s prime. A prequel could further develop the story of Old Yharnham and explore why and how it was burned and abandoned. Looking into the past could also explain the Powder Kegs and their beginnings and eventual falling out with the Healing Church.
On top of just exploring the Powder Kegs, a prequel could further explain the old hunters such as those featured in the Old Hunters DLC and more specifically, Gehrman, Ludwig, and Maria, as the latter three are major characters that ultimately become bosses who have either lost their way or succumbed to the beastly scourge. Though many of these characters do have storylines in Bloodborne, it would be interesting to see their beginnings with the church and what led them to their ultimate demise.
Perhaps the biggest mystery that has still gone mostly unexplained in Bloodborne is the Chalice Dungeons and the Pthumerians. Considering that the ancient civilization of the Pthumerians, who were led by Queen Yharnam, was said to have originally contacted the Great Ones and begin the use of blood healing, it is surprising that the original game did not further explore the now extinct civilization. Since the Chalice Dungeons are completely optional and require a lot of time and dedication in order to successfully complete, many players could go through the entirety of Bloodborne without ever knowing about the Pthumerians or Queen Yharnham, aside from briefly seeing her in the main game.
How a Prequel Would Benefit Bloodborne
The beauty of creating a prequel to Bloodborne would be in the player being fully aware of the downfall of the Pthumerians, Old Yharnam, and the Healing Church as a whole. Because Bloodborne’s theme is centered around an eerie sense of fear and gaining insight to see the world for what it truly is, the player having knowledge of what is to come would fit right into the theme and add a looming sense of dread to the already tense environments.
The established lore and backstories provided by the original title are mostly enough for players to gather knowledge about the Healing Church and its affiliation with Yharnam, but there is so much more that could be explored that is hinted at or implied but never fully fleshed out. Though this is a common trope in the Soulsborne games, the demand for another entry in the Bloodborne series on top of the trove of unknown information could effectively kill two birds with one stone.
A prequel would allow players to continue to uncover the mysteries of the Bloodborne universe while also providing them with a new game that does not oversaturate the series. Instead, the new game could provide an in-depth look at the events and misfortunes that created the world of Bloodborne as it stands today.
Considering that creative director Hidetaka Miyazaki has moved on to different IPs and Sony owns the rights to Bloodborne, a new game in the series seems more like a pipe dream than a possibility. However, even though Miyazaki has stated he prefers creating new IPs over sequels, as of 2019 he also claimed that Bloodborne is his favorite Soulsborne game and admitted that creating a sequel is not entirely up to him. Whether Elden Ring has usurped Bloodborne as his favorite game is uncertain, but Miyazaki’s words should give an inkling of hope to fans who are continuing to wait for Bloodborne 2.
Bloodborne is available now on PS4.
