Nintendo definitely hasn’t been wanting for immense hype about the Nintendo Switch 2, and the console’s recent direct only amplified this red-hot anticipation.New features like the Joy-Con 2’s mouse controlsand GameChat are certainly exciting, but the slew of first-party and licensed third-party titles for the Switch 2 are tantalizing as well, andThe Duskbloodsmay be the most tantalizing of all.
With its fantastical Victorian setting, focus on melee-and-gun combat, and allusions to blood and the moon,The Duskbloodshas already drawn more than a few comparisons toBloodborne, FromSoftware’s other Gothic horror outing. Audiences have been begging theElden Ringdeveloper to follow-upBloodbornein some capacity over the years, as the 2015 hit represents some of the studio’s best work. Given the ripe potential ofBloodborne’s world and the massive fan outcry for a sequel or remaster, the fact that FromSoftware and publisher Sony have almost totally neglected the property has long been a head-scratcher. It would appear that Nintendo has recognized this latent potential, giving FromSoftware the green light for, essentially,Bloodborne 2.
The Duskbloods Is Basically Bloodborne 2, and That’s a Good Thing
A Bloodborne Spiritual Successor Just Makes Sense
There are plenty of gamers who would no doubt give an arm and a leg fora properBloodbornesequel, but most have more or less accepted that such a game will never come. This isn’t necessarily bad: not every game needs a sequel, and a big part of what makesBloodbornespecial is its identity as a strange, standalone project. Indeed,Bloodborneis undeniably unique, but it could become less so if it were forced to become a franchise.
But that doesn’t mean that FromSoftware can’t leverage the broader concepts ofBloodborne, those being its Gothic aesthetic, steampunk influences, and Lovecraftian lore, for a spiritual successor. Games likeLies of Pprove how powerful these ideascan be, and more than a few smaller games have marketed themselves as being “Bloodborne-influenced,” so there’s certainly demand forBloodborne-likes.
FromSoftware doesn’t exactly love sequels—Armored CoreandDark Soulsare its only major, contemporary franchises with more than one entry—but it does reincorporate ideas and design trends. There’s no greater example of this thanElden Ring, which clearly borrows a lot of mechanical and storytelling methods fromDark Soulswithout being directly connected to it;Elden Ringmay have served as a way for FromSoftware to introduce new gameplay, lore, and world design elements to theDark Soulsformula without being restricted to what was already established by previous entries. The developer could be doing the same thing withBloodborneandThe Duskbloods.
Elden RingandDark Soulsmight not be as disconnected as first assumed, givenElden Ring Nightreign’s crossover content. But FromSoftware maintains that the two IP do not take place in the same universe.
Sony Has Slept On Bloodborne, and Nintendo Has Woken Up To It
The Duskbloodsproves that FromSoftware is open to revisiting many of the core thematic and design elements ofBloodborne, which begs the question, why hasn’t Sony pulled the trigger on this kind of spiritual successor? In the past, one could forgive the gaming giant for being bearish about publishingyet another uber-difficult soulslike, but in the wake ofElden Ring’s success, Sony should be tripping over itself to partner with FromSoftware again. As it stands, it feels like Sony has left money on the table by not pursuingBloodborne-adjacent projects.
Of course, there are likely myriad reasons whyFromSoftware is partnering with Nintendoover Sony forThe Duskbloods, and it’s no surprise that the general public isn’t privy to them. But still, it’s rather surprising that this game, which is so clearly reminiscent ofBloodborne, is releasing on Nintendo’s upcoming console instead of on the PlayStation. It will be interesting to see if and how the latter responds.
FromSoftware
Based in Japan, FromSoftware is a development company best known for the Souls series and Armored Core franchise. Other popular games from From Software include Elden Ring, Sekiro, Bloodborne, and the King’s Field series.
