Despite all the similarities and connections with the Nintendo Switch 2’s Nintendo Direct showcased several different games, such as the new Donkey Kong Bananza and Mario Kart World.

Most of the event was devoted to new features that the console, set for release in June, has to offer, as well as first-party Nintendo games. However, there was a large portion of the presentation dedicated to third-party partners’ products, during which FromSoftware announced The Duskbloods, a brand-new soulslike game set in a dark fantasy world with gothic inspirations and steampunk elements, which will be exclusive for Nintendo Switch 2. Its aesthetic and themes heavily resembled Bloodborne, leading to speculation that it could be Bloodborne 2, but that was quickly quelled when the official title, The Duskbloods, was revealed.

Bloodborne Is A Sony IP, So FromSoftware Can't Deliberately Work On It

The Duskbloods Is Similar To Bloodborne In Some Ways

Even with all of its similarities, there may be a good reason to explain why The Duskblood isn’t Bloodborne 2. The Bloodborne franchise is an IP (Intellectual Property) that is owned by publisher Sony and not the developer FromSoftware. Without Sony’s consent and, likely, request, the studio cannot develop a new Bloodborne game, much less for a competitor like Nintendo. As such, unless it is within Sony’s plans to revisit the 10-year-old franchise, it is impossible for FromSoftware to work on the series, despite the heavy rumors about Bloodborne 2.

These same rumors, in fact, point toward the possibility of the new title in the series being developer by Bluepoint Games, which was recently acquired by Sony, rather than FromSoftware, who conceived it. There is a lot of speculation going around, but the desire for a new Bloodborne has been ongoing and, given how The Duskbloods presents itself, it seems like FromSoftware took matters into its own hands, developing what can be considered Bloodborne’s spiritual succesor but making it just different enough to overcome and possible legal implications it would have with Sony.

The Duskbloods Seems Like A Workaround For Bloodborne's IP Limitations

There Are Also Key Differences Between Both Franchises

The development of The Duskbloods around a gothic-inspired aesthetic with a unique title and steampunk elements seems like a workaround to deliver fans an experience that resembles Bloodborne, for which they have been pleading for years now while also playing it safe. Despite the several similarities between both titles in of themes, such as the search for blood within a gothic-structured city full of monsters, The Duskbloods does offer various key differences, too. Much like the Elden Ring Nightreign, The Duskbloods will be a game focused on a multiplayer experience.

Unlike Nightreign, however, the Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive title will be a PvPvE game, as confirmed by the FromSoftware producer Yasuhiro Kitao in a post on their on X (previously Twitter). According to the official The Duskbloods website, the game will up to eight players as they fight each other and other enemies. Kitao also confirmed that The Duskbloods will portray a battle for First Blood. Much like Bloodborne, it seems like The Duskbloods’ story revolves heavily around blood, the night, and runes, one of which can be seen carved into the first character’s hand.

Players will control characters who become part of the Twilight Blood Clan, who have acquired new and mysterious powers and use them on their quest for the First Blood. This somber setting, even more so than the likes of Elden Ring and Dark Souls seems heavily aligned to what Bloodborne provided back in 2015, but with some unique twists that make it its own game. The heavy investment into the PvPvE multiplayer style, along with the new story and steampunk elements, are what make The Duskbloods a standalone franchise, even if it still caters to the Bloodborne community.

The Duskbloods’ Exclusivity For Nintendo Switch 2 May Disappoint Bloodborne Fans

Part Of The Bloodborne Community May Be Left Out Of Its Spiritual Successor

From the little that has been shown about The Duskbloods so far, it does seem like a spiritual successor to Bloodborne, even if FromSoftware differentiates it from Sony’s soulslike IP. Being prevented from working on a Bloodborne 2 of its own volition, The Duskbloods is a great solution to a legal problem, but it is limited in the sense that the game will be exclusive for the new Nintendo Switch 2 console. Even though this could push the new hybrid console’s sales even further, it could also restrict a lot of Bloodborne fans from ever playing the series’ spiritual successor.

Even so, something similar happened with Bloodborne’s release in 2015, as the title was and still is a PlayStation exclusive. The game hasn’t been released for other consoles, nor has it been remastered and released for PC like other Sony IPs (including God of War and The Last of Us), so soulslike fans who don’t own a PlayStation 4 or PlayStation 5 console are still unable to play Bloodborne.

Something similar may happen with the title, seeing the Nintendo Switch 2’s prices and some players’ inability or unwillingness to purchase the console, but it remains to be seen if The Duskbloods will live up to Bloodborne’s popularity and long-lasting legacy – if not, being separate from Sony’s IP may prove to be beneficial in the long run, as it would only fuel the community’s desire for the long-rumored Bloodborne 2, which Sony could profit off of.

The Nintendo Switch 2 has a suggested retail price of $449.99 in the United States, with its release set for June 5.

More details about The Duskbloods should arise soon, as FromSoftware is releasing a special interview with the game’s director today. This should also help clear out some of the core differences between this title and Bloodborne, to which it has been heavily compared. Despite being exclusive for Nintendo Switch 2, the game will not be a launch title for the console. For now, the game is set to arrive at some point in 2026, but a more specific release window for The Duskbloods has yet to be announced.

Source: X/Yasuhiro Kitao, The Duskbloods