From Software’s Bloodborne is a new game from the team behind Demon’s Souls but it’s not a follow-up to the original. Despite, you know, featuring roughly the same gameplay. Director Hidetaka Miyazaki spoke to Famitsu as to why Bloodborne isn’t Demon’s Souls 2.
“Back in 2012, before the announcement of the PS4, [Sony Computer Entertainment] originally approached us with the idea, ‘would you be interested in making a new game for new hardware?’ so this was never considered as a Demon’s Souls II. For us, the idea of new hardware was appealing and I remember feeling enthusiasm from SCE for a new game.”
As for the new world and shift from medieval fantasy to Victorian steampunk, Miyazaki said, “There are several reasons, the first of which is the combat. We were already thinking of a shift to a combat system where you would enter battle more actively than the sword and shield-based combat of Demon’s. So we adopted the idea of guns, but there was a prerequisite that we didn’t want the game to turn into a shooting game, and the Victorian age fit perfectly. It’s an era where the imagery of old guns still remains.”
Bloodborne will be out next year for PS4.