Bloodborne fans have called on Sony to remake the game or release a sequel for years now. What they have instead is, well… it’s not quite what they expected.
During Sony’s State of Play showcase in May the company revealed a brand new Astro Bot for PS5, and the announcement sparked excitement from PlayStation gamers across the internet. Now, Sony has announced pre-order details for Team Asobi’s game as well as the various outfits set to hit the eye-catching platformer — and, you guessed it, one of the outfits is Bloodborne.
As detailed in a PlayStation Blog post, the Astro Bot Digital Deluxe Edition includes an early unlock for Astro’s Yharnam Tourist outfit, which is the one that’s caused a bit of a fuss across social media and forums today.
Botborne pic.twitter.com/xNu7EO4nTS
— PlayStation AU (@PlayStationAU) June 7, 2024
Most of the reaction is light-hearted, with plenty of jokes about Astro Bot now being the Bloodborne remake fans have been waiting for, a few perhaps wishful thinkers suggesting the skin is a sign of better things to come, and more than a few accusations that Sony is trolling Bloodborne fans hard. You have to imagine Sony knew what sort of reaction this outfit would spark, and it’s sure to drive plenty of Deluxe Edition sales as a result. Either way, we have a confirmed Sony acknowledgement that still Bloodborne exists, so there is that.
Sony’s messed up for this 😆#AstroBot pic.twitter.com/6sZ5v1k7Ji
— Shinobi602 (@shinobi602) June 6, 2024
Here’s your crumb you sad freaks https://t.co/Mrs0vs3GRh pic.twitter.com/VrEiQSqRI3
— Barrett Courtney (@SadBoyBarrett) June 6, 2024
Astro Bot let you play in the Hunter Bloodborne outfit.
IS THIS A SIGN????????? #PS5 pic.twitter.com/x6ESTIDh1J
— GermanStrands (@GermanStrands) June 6, 2024
IT’S OFFICAL! Bloodborne outfit will be in Astro Bot PS5! Sony just acknowledged bloodborne 👀☝️ pic.twitter.com/f0Jeu2DLwQ
— Pyo 5️⃣ (@mrpyo1) June 6, 2024
It’s worth noting that the Bloodborne outfit and all the others will become available during the adventure as you unlock their respective buildings on the crash site in-game, so what you’re paying for here is early access. But it is early access to something new for Bloodborne, so…
Meanwhile, the wait for an actual new Bloodborne game continues. In February, Bloodborne director Hidetaka Miyazaki, while promoting upcoming Elden Ring DLC Shadow of the Erdtree, told IGN it wasn’t his place to talk about the possibility of a Bloodborne remake.
“We simply don’t own the IP at FromSoftware,” Miyazaki explained. “For me personally, it was a great project, and I have a lot of great memories for that game, but we’re not at liberty to speak to it.” No promises, no hints of anything in the works, and to hear Miyazaki tell it, the decision isn’t even really up to FromSoftware — it’s entirely on Sony, which owns Bloodborne.
Bloodborne fans have been desperate for a remake for years now. We gave the game a 9.1/10 when it first launched, but despite critical acclaim and incredible sales success, Bloodborne has remained relegated to PlayStation 4 exclusivity. There’s no dedicated PS5 version, nor is it available on PS5 or other consoles. With other FromSoftware games such as Demon’s Souls and the original Dark Souls getting a remake and numerous ports, respectively, hope has been kept alive. For now, FromSoftware fans will have to be content with… an Astro Bot skin.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].