While a sequel to Bloodborne has yet to be confirmed and is rumored to not be in development currently, many fans are wondering when a sequel to the beloved PlayStation 4 exclusive will see the light of day. While fans are dying to return to either return Yharnam for a new adventure - or to learn of new monsters somewhere else in the world - predicting a release date for a game that is supposedly not in active development can be a bit tricky.
However, there are several clues in From Software’s past that can give fans an idea as to when the game may finally come out. From Software is notably methodical, which may be the biggest hint as to when Bloodborne 2’s release will come around.
Learning from Past From Software Games
From Software as a development studio has kept a surprisingly uniform development and release pattern. In terms of development speed, the studio averages a game approximately every three years from the start of development. While some games take a tad longer, its games are usually good to go sometime around the third year of development generally speaking. For example, Bloodborne’s development began right as Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition was wrapping up in August of 2012.
Bloodborne was later announced in 2014 and launched a year later in March of 2015. What is interesting about From Software and the Soulsborne games is that the majority of them released in the first quarter of the year - strongly favoring March. Dark Souls 2 released in March 2014, Dark Souls 2: Scholars of the First Sin launched February 2015, Bloodborne in March 2015, Dark Souls 3 in March 2016, and Sekiro in March 2019.
Clearly, From Software favors early year launches for its main games, so it might be a fair assumption that main games like Bloodborne 2 may see a Q1 release as well. The tricky part with Bloodborne 2 is that it is not currently in active development, so it’s unknown how much progress - if any - has been made toward this highly requested sequel. It’s hard to say if the game has been in the works since Bloodborne initially released, or if development is on hold for it until after Elden Ring launches.
To make matters even more complicated, in the midst of a global pandemic, games are being delayed left and right due to limitations on employees, even with many working from home. While From Software has not made any indication that this is the case for the upcoming Elden Ring, it certainly can’t be ruled out since a release date has yet to be confirmed for the title. With Elden Ring rumored to be releasing this year, odds are that From Software has its work force primarily focused on that title, so Bloodborne 2 may have to wait until after the launch of Elden Ring.
When Will Bloodborne 2 be Released?
Following From Software’s previous development patterns, there are a couple possibilities for Bloodborne 2’s release window. Assuming From Software sticks to its pattern of Q1 releases, then the absolute earliest would be Q1 2021, but that is a pretty fast turn around from Elden Ring, and considering that Bloodborne 2 is not known to be in development, it’s fair to assume that Q1 2021 is not likely (though not impossible). It’s possible that From Software may wait and work on developing Bloodborne 2 for PS5, and considering the stunning PS5 tech demo, From Software could make some truly beautiful and horrifying creations using next-gen tech.
Considering this, if Bloodborne is the next From Software title to go into full development, a Q1 2022 release date may be more likely - perhaps Q1 2023 if it takes From Software the full three years to develop the game. This is, of course, assuming that the title is starting from scratch and hasn’t been worked on by From Software yet.
A possibility to hold fans over could be a next-gen version of Bloodborne that could add new content to the game. While Sony has stated that most of the popular PS4 titles will be backwards compatible with PS5, a full-fledged next-gen Bloodborne would be great for those picking up a PS5 who haven’t played the original title before. Bloodborne was already a beautiful and haunting game on PS4, but recreating Yharnam on the PS5 could be a thing of beauty (and nightmares). If From Software wanted to re-release Bloodborne, it could also add new content and perhaps expand the lore of the Great Ones since the base game does little to touch on these terrifying, otherworldly entities.
Narratively speaking, From Software has several avenues to take for Bloodborne 2 thanks to the different endings of Bloodborne. Whether From Software wants to return to Yharnam and recreate the haunting city using next-gen tech or just move to a new location and continue the narrative thread from there, fans are sure to be happy either way. Bloodborne was one of the best games when it came to capturing true Lovecraftian horror, and fans are dying for more. Unfortunately for the time being, it seems like a release date for Bloodborne 2 is still a ways off.
Bloodborne is available now for PS4.
