Elden Ring has become synonymous with radio silence in game development lately. It's gone so long without updates that the fan community has taken the game into their own hands, developing fake lore and even a model of the game. However, Elden Ring's long, slow development and news cycle means further reaching implication than i alone. The more time From Software devotes to this project, the longer it is before the studio gets any work done on a theoretical Bloodborne 2. The first game was a huge success, and fans have been clamoring for another game like it in years. Unfortunately, fans have yet to be sated, and Bloodborne's future remains in doubt.
There is, however, another line of games with an even more dubious future. If it's taken From Software this long to make any moves on Bloodborne 2, odds are good that Dark Souls 4 won't be seen for a really long time, if ever. That seems ironic, since Dark Souls is arguably From Software's most famous and impactful franchise, seeing tremendous sales and defining the genre of Soulslike games. Bloodborne's gravitas might be getting in the way of Dark Souls anyway, for even though From Software seems to be avoiding sequels in general lately, Dark Souls 4 seems much farther away than Bloodborne 2.
Keeping Fans on Their Toes
From Software has had a lot of lucrative opportunities to make sequels lately. After Bloodborne's success in 2015, Dark Souls 3 was a huge hit and indicated that From Software could either keep riding that franchise's success or try for Bloodborne 2. Instead, it took a turn and gave its fans Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. Sekiro was another tremendous hit, offering players the same level of difficulty that Dark Souls is known for, but packaging it in a new kind of gameplay. Sekiro even went so far as to win Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2019. However, instead of jumping on a Sekiro 2 or returning to Dark Souls, From Software went after yet another original title: Elden Ring.
After spending several years dedicated to continuing the Dark Souls franchise, this new habit of producing standalone games shows a very different side of From Software. The company is avoiding sequels, which is indubitably works, but if it even comes around, there seems to be a pecking order. Elden Ring will see a release eventually, but From Software may not feel inclined to break its new habit at that point. Lots of fans want Bloodborne 2, but if From Software doesn't want to do it, it may never happen. That also means that if Bloodborne 2 isn't happening, Dark Souls 4 certainly isn't.
A Self-Contained Saga
What sets Dark Souls apart from From Software's other sequel opportunities is that it's already a trilogy. The developers may have decided that its story has already been wrapped up and that there just isn't any need for another game. That stands in stark difference to Bloodborne, a game with high demand for a sequel that still has lots of room to be expanded upon. Bloodborne's Gothic setting is really unique, and From Software could get a lot of mileage on revisiting it in a sequel.
Ultimately, though, Elden Ring remains "responsible" for delaying all of these theoretical sequels. As long as it keeps up its remarkable streak of aloofness, it's hard to speculate about any timeline for Bloodborne 2 or Dark Souls 4. It's hard to say for now if Elden Ring will enter contention for a sequel as well. It might be a special, temporary project with George R. R. Martin, or it could become something much bigger. If From Software does decide to make Elden Ring more than a standalone game, hopefully it remembers what got it where it is today and revisits Bloodborne and Dark Souls before too long. The demand for these games is there, whichever direction From Software decides to go.
Elden Ring is in development for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
