Bloodborne remains a huge commercial success for both Sony and FromSoftware. The PS4 exclusive entranced many, and not just hardcore Souls fans. Rumors about ports of Bloodborne coming to PC and PS5 constantly circulate, and fans are waiting for a return to the modern gothic horror title. As such, the recent murmurings of a spiritual sequel to Bloodborne called Velvet Veil has people excited. Some sources mentioned an early 2023 release and PS5 exclusivity.
FromSoftware fans just got an extensive new trailer for the upcoming Elden Ring. While this trailer carried a lot of E3 hype, many are still patiently waiting for some form of sequel or port of Bloodborne. However, fans might need to temper their expectations with regards to Velvet Veil, as the project is entirely unconfirmed by FromSoftware and there is a notable lack of evidence looming over the rumors. In fact, important figures in the Bloodborne fan community have seemingly debunked these leaks.
Claims about this "successor" came from Twitter user Ruancarlo Silva, who links the rumors to a leaker who revealed accurate information about Dark Souls Remastered and Elden Ring in the past. However, it seems as though the leaker in question did not actually post anything about Velvet Veil. This means a Bloodborne spiritual successor could be far away, and these shaky rumors are not the only reason. FromSoftware has a busy 2022 with the release of Elden Ring. A brand-new IP attempting to emulate one of its most successful games just a year later seems like a tall order, even for a developer as prestigious as the Souls series creators.
Why Velvet Veil Leaks Look Unlikely
While FromSoftware might be working on a Bloodborne spiritual successor, Velvet Veil does not look to be that game right now. There are several issues with the original Twitter thread about the game, the most glaring of these being the source. Silva cites a reputable leaker in the Souls community who goes by the username e_0 on Reddit, someone who discussed the release of Sekiro and Dark Souls Remastered before any official FromSoftware announcement. Unfortunately for Bloodborne fans, the Reddit user said in a post on June 17 that he did not hear anything from his prior source, is "just as clueless as everyone else," and did not anonymously spread information about Velvet Veil on 4chan.
Thus it seems the prestige supposedly backing this leak does not exist. While that might be enough to put the rumor to rest for some fans, there are further reasons for suspicion. Elden Ring has a 2022 release date, six years after Dark Souls 3 closed the book on FromSoftware's signature series. From the Elden Ring E3 trailer, it looks like one of FromSoftware's most ambitious projects yet. As such, fans can probably expect to see a lot of post-launch support for the title, so it seems unlikely that FromSoftware will follow such a huge release only a year later with a new game.
Bloodborne Already Has A Successor
It is not impossible that a Bloodborne successor will appear at some point. In fact, Bloodborne was developed at the same time as Dark Souls 2, which means FromSoftware is no stranger to simultaneously creating games. It should be noted that Dark Souls 2 infamously did not have Hidetaka Miyazaki as a main creative lead, but Elden Ring does. It also seems like a huge project for FromSoftware, making a 2023 Bloodborne-style game even more unlikely.
However, Bloodborne fans need not mourn Velvet Veil too much. Although it may look more like Dark Souls than other FromSoftware titles, Elden Ring might well act as a spiritual successor to Bloodborne given it looks like the title will incorporate elements of the PS4 classic. In the Elden Ring trailer, one of the most prominent features was a plurality in different playstyles. The cinematic saw magic users, ranged fighters, and even some more aggressive whip combatants enter the fray, the latter reminiscent of Bloodborne's threaded cane.
Moreover, a few of the trailer's more prominent boss fights take place in graveyards. Watching the protagonist maneuver around and use the terrain to block attacks from the hulking boss evoked the dynamic setting of Bloodborne's Father Gascoigne fight. There is also a very prominent howling man-wolf figure in the video, perhaps nodding to the theme of lycanthropy present throughout Bloodborne. In general, Elden Ring's trailer looked like a mesh of all of FromSoftware's best games, including Bloodborne. Although it seems rumors of a new Bloodborne successor are too good to be true at this point, Elden Ring could well fill that gap for fans of the game.
Bloodborne is available on PS4.
