Why We Should Expect 'Bloodborne 2' Before 'Dark Souls 4,' According to From Software

Hidetaka Miyazaki hasn't been shy about From Software's plans to move on from the Dark Souls franchise before the launch of Dark Souls 3 earlier this year. With 'Ashes of Ariandel' coming up this October, it's hard to fathom that such a great series is coming to an indefinite pause. While this does spell an indefinite end for the franchise, it also leads hope to see Bloodborne 2 in the near future.

In an interview with Polygon, Miyazaki didn't shy away from the question of this being the last Souls game. For now, at least, we shouldn't expect to see Dark Souls 4 any time soon.

"It’s time to move away from the Dark Souls franchise. As president of From Software, I’m not completely denying the possibility of bringing back the franchise in the future. There could be someone else in my company who wants to work on new installments. But we believe that the series will end after the two DLC." ...

"I’m not saying I won’t work on a Dark Souls-like game or a dark fantasy game," he said. "We’d like to carry over some of the good things from the franchise to new products. As new technology is introduced, we would like to take what we learned from Dark Souls and use it in future IP."

The games industry isn't one to never say never, but we'd expect at least a long hiatus. So what does this mean for the future of the franchise? For the future of From Software?

Moving on from the Souls Series Offers Bloodborne a Chance to Grow

When Bloodborne launched in 2015, the game took the world by storm as one of the most creative and darkest titles to date. Changing up the Souls formula from sword and shields, Bloodborne offered something new: it offered guns. These guns allow for a unique take on the game. One that allowed for fans to take to the fields of combat in order to bash their enemies in multiple ways, and even to stun them with their gun if their shot was timed right. This mechanic was new, it was beautiful, and it still remains uniquely different from the Souls franchise.

Since the Lovecraftian-styled series has just started with one entry, Bloodborne's success has opened the door for at least one sequel for this current generation of consoles. From photorealistic scenery to the grim and H.P. Lovecraft-inspired creatures, Bloodborne is a fresh breath into the already long-running tough-as-nails Souls genre of action platformers.

If that brings hope from Bloodborne 2 to you, it sure as heck does to me, and proves we shouldn't give up love for the Sony PlayStation 4 exclusive franchise.

What About More Souls Games In the Form of Dark Souls Remasters or HD Remakes?

It isn't odd to see games these days get HD remasters. We've been seeing Capcom do it with the Resident Evil franchise as they build up towards their excruciatingly dark Resident Evil VII: Biohazard. We've also seen 2K HD remaster both the BioShock trilogy and we've even seen Gearbox give Borderlands 2 and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel a second chance at life.

This is a trend that Miyazaki stated that he hasn't ruled out someone at From Software having a chance to remake Dark Souls games in HD. So, does that mean we could see an HD remake of perhaps Demon's Souls get a second chance at life? That sure as heck does and that alone should be exciting enough if they throw in some of the combat techniques from Dark Souls III.

For now, he hasn't even ruled out future installments such as Dark Souls 4, but they won't be here in a near future. That means we may just have to grit our teeth and hope that the PC community can make some spectacular mods that will get official support. This just means we'll have to wait, be patient, and see what the next big project From Software has under their sleeves.