Once mighty developer Konami has seen its reputation suffer significantly over the last decade. In the mid-2010s, the company famously decided to move away from blockbuster game development, dramatically parting ways with the legendary Hideo Kojima and refocusing their attention on mobile titles, pachinko parlors and gyms. This has meant the effective death of several beloved franchises, with Metal Gear Solid, Silent Hill, and Castlevania not getting new installments for years.
Since then, there’ve been perennial rumblings that Konami is bringing any or all of them back, that they’re licensing them out, or that various remakes are in production. None of these rumors have proved true, though, and many fans have gotten tired of sites reporting on wishful thinking.
So, you should probably be skeptical about a new story from leaker KatharsisT that says Konami and Sony are partnering up on a PlayStation 5 exclusive Castlevania title. However, this particular franchise being resurrected does make some sense. After all, Netflix’s animated show based on the game is a smash hit, with the fourth season about to drop and spinoffs apparently on cards. Beyond that, Castlevania has been kept alive by the Bloodstained series, which is considered a spiritual successor.
It also hasn’t been too long since Konami released the excellent Castlevania Anniversary Collection across all major platforms, giving modern gamers a chance to check out the 8 and 16-bit origins of the Belmont clan and their endless battle against Dracula.
I’m still doubtful that this is going to happen, but it’s undeniable Konami is sitting on a lot of very valuable IP and not doing anything with it, so farming work out to other developers should be a promising payday for them. In any case, I’d love to see a fresh take on Castlevania inspired by Dark Souls on next-gen hardware, so fingers crossed that this rumor pans out.