Bloodborne Fans Rally for Anniversary Return to Yharnam

Bloodborne celebrates its 10th anniversary today, and the community is marking the occasion with another "Return to Yharnam" event.

FromSoftware’s PlayStation 4 masterpiece launched on March 24, 2015, solidifying the Japanese studio’s reputation as one of the industry’s finest. The game received widespread critical and commercial praise, making a follow-up in the style of Dark Souls sequels seem like a sure thing.

Yet, in the years since… nothing has materialized. Why hasn’t Sony greenlit a current-gen remaster, a full sequel, or even a next-gen patch to officially enable 60fps gameplay? For years, fans have pleaded for more Bloodborne content, but the silence from Sony remains one of gaming’s most baffling business mysteries.

Earlier this year, we received a possible explanation. After leaving Sony, PlayStation veteran Shuhei Yoshida shared his personal theory about the absence of new Bloodborne content. He made it clear in an interview with Kinda Funny Games that this was not inside information and didn’t reflect any ongoing discussions within Sony.

“Bloodborne has always been the most requested title,” Yoshida said. “Fans are confused as to why we haven’t released even a simple update or remaster. It seems like an easy decision, especially since the company is known for remastering many classics. That frustration is understandable.

“This is just my personal theory—I’m no longer in first-party, so I don’t have the inside track—but I believe it comes down to Miyazaki-san’s deep connection to Bloodborne. He truly cherishes what he created. My guess is that while he’s interested in revisiting it, he’s immensely successful and busy, so he can’t take it on himself—but he also doesn’t want anyone else handling it. I suspect the PlayStation team respects his wishes. Again, that’s just my speculation, not a revelation of confidential information.”

Miyazaki-san refers to Hidetaka Miyazaki, the president of FromSoftware. His track record is stellar, from the influential Dark Souls series to the recent blockbuster Elden Ring, which pushed the studio to unprecedented success. In fact, a multiplayer spin-off is scheduled to launch later this year.

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It’s no secret that Miyazaki has his hands full with multiple projects and the responsibilities of running a company. After Bloodborne’s 2015 release, he directed Dark Souls 3, followed by 2019’s Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice for Activision, and later Elden Ring for Bandai Namco. What’s next for him? He hasn’t announced anything yet.

In interviews, Miyazaki usually sidesteps questions about Bloodborne, noting that FromSoftware doesn’t own the intellectual property. However, in February of last year, he did concede that the game would benefit from a release on more modern hardware.

In the absence of official updates, modders have attempted to enhance the original PS4 Bloodborne experience through fan projects. Sony, however, has not been supportive. In January, Lance McDonald, creator of a well-known 60fps mod, announced he had received a takedown notice from Sony Interactive Entertainment, requesting the removal of his patch from the internet. The DMCA notice came four years after the mod’s initial release.

A week later, Lilith Walther, the developer behind Nightmare Kart (formerly Bloodborne Kart) and the visually striking Bloodborne PSX demake, tweeted that an old YouTube video of the demake had been targeted with a copyright claim.

More recently, fans have managed to use PS4 emulators to deliver a remaster-like experience on PC. The technical experts at Digital Foundry released a video discussing “a breakthrough in PS4 emulation” via ShadPS4, which now allows Bloodborne to be played from start to finish at 60fps. Could this development have prompted a more aggressive stance from Sony? IGN reached out to Sony for comment but has not received a response.

For now, that’s all the information available, leaving the Bloodborne community to rely on self-organized events like Return to Yharnam. Launching today on the game’s 10th anniversary, the event encourages players to create new characters, engage in co-op and invasions, and leave in-game messages to show their participation.

Perhaps this is all fans will ever have to keep the world of Bloodborne alive.