With Bluepoint Games' Demon's Souls remake launching side by side with the PS5 on November 12th, fans can't help but speculate on the future of Souls games as a whole. Though it was once thought to be the next thing coming from that studio, the complete lack of Elden Ring news has led many to believe that the title is much farther away than most initially thought. That doesn't leave fans with many options, so although it may seem unlikely, a Demon's Souls sequel developed by either FromSoftware seems like it could be a real possibility.
Demon's Souls played an incredibly important role as the precursor to Dark Souls, but despite this, it never caught on in the same ways as its spiritual sequel. Bluepoint Games seeks to change that by reviving the title for next generation hardware, and fans can expect to see a massive leap in both graphics and gameplay as a result. Of course, the Demon's Souls remake isn't even out yet, so there likely aren't any plans for a sequel of any kind just yet, but it can be fun to theorize what that might look like should it perform well.
What's Next For FromSoftware?
When it comes to figuring out what comes next for FromSoftware, it is compelling to just assume that Elden Ring is the answer. This title was revealed over a year ago at E3 2019 but has since left fans hanging in with no relevant news or communication to speak of, so some have turned to looking at other options. From within the Dark Souls franchise, the first entry in that trilogy has already been remastered once for PS4, and though it may see a PS5 port eventually, this is hardly what fans are looking for.
The same holds true for Dark Souls 2, except that game was much less universally beloved than the games that came before it. In terms of Dark Souls 3, it is still so new that the best fans could hope for is a PS5 port of some sort. Looking outside of Dark Souls, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice suffers from the same issue and isn't likely to receive a sequel anytime soon. Finally, talk of a Bloodborne sequel always gets fans excited, but now that it was revealed to be part of the PS Plus Collection, it could still be some time before a sequel arrives.
Demon's Souls on PS5
In a way, Demon's Souls seems to almost be a sort of testrun for FromSoftware, a way to gauge how its familiar formula and games do when compared to next generation gaming. Much of the company's future could well be riding on Demon's Souls' success, and FromSoftware is no doubt going to be watching its performance very closely. If it does well enough and fans seem to enjoy it, they may even see a direct Demon's Souls sequel someday.
Dark Souls is often considered a sequel to Demon's Souls, but for the most part this is true only in spirit. Some fans of the game that started it all think Demon's Souls is more than deserving of its own sequel, and that wish is more viable now than ever before. In years before the Demon's Souls remake was announced, it may have seemed like a pipe dream, but there's a real possibility that it could happen. It would also give Dark Souls fans a chance to continue to experience stories in a similar world to Dark Souls despite Miyazaki's claim that the franchise is complete. Of course, this would be a long ways away if it did end up happening, but a Demon's Souls 2 could be just what FromSoftware needs to recapture its audience.
Demon's Souls releases on November 12th exclusively for PS5.
