Highlights

  • Bloodborne's lack of a sequel may indicate that it will be remembered as a unique one-hit-wonder, despite its critical acclaim and fan anticipation.
  • FromSoft's focus on other projects and the mainstream success of indie Soulslike games have potentially made Bloodborne's niche less appealing to the developer.
  • Bloodborne redefined the Soulslike genre by introducing aggressive gameplay, guns, and a contrasting Victorian Gothic setting, paving the way for beloved games in the Soulsborne genre.

While Bloodborne was a tour de force and a new take on FromSoft's Soulslikes genre, the fact that the game still hasn't received a sequel after so long since its release is arguably a sign it will be retired to the developer's history as a unique one-hit-wonder. Despite receiving critical acclaim with fans so eagerly anticipating a sequel that initial teasers for Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice were mistaken for a potential Bloodborne 2, it seems that Bloodborne will remain as just a standalone game. Yet as disappointing as it might seem to its community of fans, this could be the best-case scenario for Bloodborne and its future.

Between FromSoft moving on to other projects such as its most recent and equally successful Elden Ring and other indie Soulslike games achieving Bloodborne-like statuses such as Lies of P or Remnant 2, the initial niche Bloodborne itself had found may now have become much more mainstream for FromSoft's liking. As a result, though Bloodborne had established a deep, complex Lovecraftian universe, it seems that FromSoft is playing to its strengths in the dark and high fantasy genres. So with leaks around FromSoft's next game already hinting at this shift in development, it might be time to retire fans' hopes of a Bloodborne sequel.

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Bloodborne Redefined the Future of Soulslikes

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Though Dark Souls went on to lay the initial groundwork for the concept of Soulslike games, it wasn't until the release of Bloodborne that the genre truly came into its own, owing to the alternative term Soulsborne as a combination of the two FromSoft properties. Before Bloodborne, FromSoft's Soulslike games were defined by common features such as world exploration, difficult gameplay, and interpretive storytelling, but based on Dark Souls alone many believed that these games also needed to be dark fantasies. However, this limited scope was radically expanded and redefined following the release of Bloodborne.

Including its significant departure from Dark Souls' focus on defense and evasion, Bloodborne was a much different approach to the Soulslike format that instead prioritized aggressive gameplay as FromSoft aimed to broaden the game's appeal to a larger community of players. From the first-time addition of guns in place of Dark Souls' shields and its contrasting Victorian Gothic setting, Bloodborne rewrote what many had thought was a strict formula for Soulslike games to become the Soulsborne genre. Arguably, if it weren't for Bloodborne paving the way for others to travel, many currently beloved critically acclaimed games couldn't have followed, such as:

  • Hollow Knight (2017) and Hollow Knight: Silksong (TBD)
  • Nioh (2017) and Nioh 2 (2020)
  • Remnant: From The Ashes (2019) and Remnant 2 (2023)
  • Steelrising (2022)
  • Lies of P (2023)

Bloodborne Will Forever Be A FromSoft Cornerstone

Even a decade after its release Bloodborne remains just as popular as it did at launch, proven by calls for both its sequel and a remake, many new Soulslike games seen as its spiritual successor like Lies of P, and even the bizarre fan-made demake spin-off Bloodborne Kart soon to be officially released on January 31, 2024. Since then, however, FromSoftware has put distance between it and Bloodborne, as following Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice the developer returned to replicating Dark Souls' dark fantasy style with Elden Ring. Whether intentional or not, it seems that FromSoft has no priorities regarding a Bloodborne remake or sequel for the time being.

Though this might be disappointing to some, this still could be with everyone's best interests in mind as regardless of what FromSoft has in store for future development, Bloodborne will always be one of its most distinctive and formative games. Having already inspired and been compared to many like-minded games, Bloodborne has set as much of a standard as the Dark Souls series did. So while FromSoft can focus on its talents with dark fantasy Soulslikes as with its upcoming Elden Ring DLC, its experimental Bloodborne can remain a timeless standalone game that leads the way for the Soulsborne genre.