ArtPlay’s hit 2019 Metroidvania,Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, is finally getting a sequel sometime next year, and it’s calledBloodstained: The Scarlet Engagement. Announced during the PlayStation State of Play earlier this week, this upcoming action game is set in 16th century England, roughly two centuries before the events of its predecessor.Bloodstained: The Scarlet Engagementfeatures two entirely new protagonists, a Church army member called Leonard Brandon and a lone knight by the name of Alexander Kyteler. Players can swap between these two characters freely as they engage in battles and explore an expansive, dangerous castle ruled by the mysterious Demon Lord Elias.
AlthoughBloodstained: The Scarlet Engagementwas revealed at a PlayStation event, the game is coming to Xbox and PC, as well. This time, however, it will not be crowdfunded through Kickstarter, likeBloodstained: Ritual of the Nightwas. ArtPlay had technicallyconfirmed the existence ofBloodstained: The Scarlet Engagementback in 2021, but, at the time, it hadn’t shared any specific details about the title. More than four years have passed since then, and yet, the iconic franchise that inspired theBloodstainedgames,Castlevania, has still not received a proper revival.
Bloodstained: The Scarlet Engagement Should Push Konami to Make a New Castlevania Game
Castlevania Was Once One of the Biggest Franchises in Gaming, But It’s Fallen By the Wayside
Konami’sCastlevaniaseries was one of the most well-known franchises in the gaming industry during the late 90s and early 2000s. The franchise redefined the side-scrolling platformer genre by implementing RPG elements, non-linear exploration, and inventive gameplay mechanics. It,along with Nintendo’sMetroidseries, established the framework for the modern Metroidvania, which is still very popular to this day. Although most of the titles in theCastlevaniafranchise are pretty old at this point, some of them, like 1997’sCastlevania: Symphony of the Night, are considered to be among the best games of all time.
In spite of the cultural impact that theCastlevaniaseries has had, it has remained dormant for quite a long time. The last time Konami releaseda newCastlevaniagamefor home consoles was in 2014, when it launchedCastlevania: Lords of Shadow 2on PS3, Xbox 360, and PC. That game, however, wasn’t even a traditionalCastlevaniatitle, and it wasn’t well-received by most fans. Although Konami has created pachislots, pachinko machines, and even mobile games that use theCastlevaniabranding ever since, it hasn’t really done anything significant with the franchise, aside from releasing some Netflix TV shows and game compilations here and there.
The Bloodstained Series Was Made by Former Castlevania Devs
Konami’s lack of interest in theCastlevaniaseries led to the creation of theBloodstainedgames. As many may know by now,Bloodstained: Ritual of the Nightwas developed by several formerCastlevaniadevs, some of whom left Konami due to their dissatisfaction with the direction of the company. In fact, bothRitual of the NightandThe Scarlet Engagementwere produced by Koji Igarashi, the lead producer of theCastlevaniafranchise. Meanwhile, Shutaro Ida, a developer who worked on several installments in theCastlevaniaseries, served as the creative director for the two games.
There are rumors that Konami is making a newCastlevaniagame, but nothing has come of them so far.
Bloodstained’s Success Shows that There is a Market for a New Castlevania Game
TheBloodstainedseries has been very successful for ArtPlay so far, withBloodstained: Ritual of the Nightselling over 2 million copies in roughly four years. The popularity of the series proves that there is still demand for moreCastlevania-inspired titles. With ArtPlay gearing up to releaseBloodstained: The Scarlet Engagementin 2026, it’s about time that Konami does something with theCastlevaniaseries. The company has already started reviving some of its older franchises,likeSilent HillandMetal Gear, so it’s only fitting that it givesCastlevaniathe same treatment, as well. IfBloodstained: The Scarlet Engagementends up being a smash hit, then it will hopefully encourage Konami to bringCastlevaniaback as soon as possible.
