On Bloodborne’s 10th Birthday, and With Neither a Sequel nor a Next-Gen Update in Sight, Fans Once Again Organize a Return to Yharnam

Today marks the 10th anniversary of Bloodborne, and fans are celebrating by launching yet another "Return to Yharnam" community event. FromSoftware's PlayStation 4 masterpiece, released on March 24, 2015, not only solidified the Japanese developer's status as one of the greatest in the industry but also received widespread critical and commercial acclaim. Given its success, many anticipated a follow-up akin to the Dark Souls sequels. However, a decade later, Sony has yet to release a current-gen remaster, a sequel, or even a next-gen update to make Bloodborne officially playable at 60fps. This ongoing silence from Sony continues to baffle and frustrate fans who have been vocal about their desire for more Bloodborne.

Earlier this year, some insight into this situation came from Shuhei Yoshida, a PlayStation legend, following his departure from Sony. In an interview with Kinda Funny Games, Yoshida shared his theory on the lack of Bloodborne updates, emphasizing that it was purely his personal opinion and not reflective of internal Sony discussions. He suggested that Hidetaka Miyazaki, the head of FromSoftware and creator of Bloodborne, might be too busy and successful to work on a remaster or sequel himself, and unwilling to let anyone else touch the project. Yoshida believes that the PlayStation team respects Miyazaki's wishes, hence the absence of new Bloodborne content.

Miyazaki, renowned for his work on the Dark Souls series and the recent blockbuster Elden Ring, which is set to receive a multiplayer spin-off this year, has indeed been occupied with multiple projects. Since Bloodborne, he directed Dark Souls 3, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice for Activision, and Elden Ring for Bandai Namco. While Miyazaki often avoids direct questions about Bloodborne, citing that FromSoftware does not own the IP, he did acknowledge in February last year that the game could benefit from being updated for modern hardware.

In the absence of official updates, fan-made projects have emerged, attempting to enhance the Bloodborne experience. However, Sony has responded negatively to these efforts. For instance, Lance McDonald, known for his Bloodborne 60fps mod, received a DMCA takedown notice from Sony Interactive Entertainment four years after releasing his mod. Similarly, Lilith Walther, behind projects like Nightmare Kart and the Bloodborne PSX demake, faced copyright claims on her YouTube videos.

Recently, the tech community has made significant strides in PS4 emulation, with Digital Foundry showcasing a breakthrough via ShadPS4 that allows Bloodborne to be played from start to finish in 60fps on PC. This development might have prompted Sony's aggressive stance against fan projects, though Sony has yet to comment on the matter when approached by IGN.

With no official word from Sony or FromSoftware, Bloodborne fans have taken matters into their own hands, organizing community events like the "Return to Yharnam" that kicks off today. Participants are encouraged to create new characters, summon as many random cooperators and invaders as possible, and leave in-game messages indicating their participation in this community-driven celebration. As fans continue to honor the legacy of Bloodborne, these community events may become the primary way to experience the game's world in the future.

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