Three’s a crowd (Bandai Namco)
Despite all the cries for a Bloodborne remaster or remake, Dark Souls 3 is said to be the next FromSoftware title getting the upgrade treatment.
Bloodborne might be regarded as one of developer FromSoftware’s best games – indeed, we’d say it’s one of the best video games of all time – but it is also the the most neglected.
Despite fan outcry since the game launched on PlayStation 4 in 2015, there hasn’t ever been a major visual or performance patch, or even a PC port, for the title. The closest has been some recent enhancements via the ultra-expensive PS5 Pro console, but they’re just general improvements applied to all games.
While FromSoftware has acknowledged the thirst for an upgraded version in the past, it seems another game from the studio may have jumped the queue for the remaster treatment.
Speaking on the Xbox Era podcast, insider Nick Baker claims a ‘remaster’ of Dark Souls 3 is in development.
While there’s no indication of when it could be released, Baker, who has accurately leaked game announcements in the past, claims he has ‘more information’ but he ‘isn’t allowed to pass that on’.
Based on his wording, it sounds like it’ll be in the same vein as 2018’s Dark Souls: Remastered, which included a 60 frames per second boost, among other improvements.
Dark Souls 3 already runs at 60fps on Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5, so it’s unclear what a remaster could offer beyond a bump in resolution. The game, however, is not available on the Switch, so this might be a port to coincide with Nintendo’s new console next year.
Dark Souls: Remastered was developed by Polish studio QLOC and not FromSoftware, so it’s possible a reworked third entry could be by the same team.
If this rumour is true, it’s perhaps surprising that publisher Bandai Namco would skip over Dark Souls 2 – which is more in need of a remaster. However, the first sequel, while still popular, is the odd duck of the series, as it’s the only one not directed by original creator Hidetaka Miyazaki (because he was working on Bloodborne at the time).
As for why this would be prioritised over Bloodborne, that is probably because Sony published Bloodborne and not Bandai Namco. The latter also published the studio’s biggest hit, Elden Ring.
Dark Souls 3 originally launched in 2016 on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. It’s the final entry in the series and received two DLC expansions: Ashes Of Ariandel and The Ringed City.
It’s unclear what FromSoftware is currently working on, but parent company Kadokawa recently announced it has 26 new games in development.
Not all of those will be FromSoftware titles (Kadokawa also owns Spike Chunsoft, amongst others) but it does suggest they have multiple games underway at the moment – as is the norm for them.
Will Bloodborne ever get any TLC? (Sony Interactive Entertainment)
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