ArtPlay’s hit 2019 Metroidvania, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, is finally getting a sequel sometime next year, and it’s called Bloodstained: 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 Engagement features 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.
Although Bloodstained: The Scarlet Engagement was 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, like Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night was. ArtPlay had technically confirmed the existence of Bloodstained: The Scarlet Engagement back 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 the Bloodstained games, Castlevania, has still not received a proper revival.
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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’s Castlevania series 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’s Metroid series, established the framework for the modern Metroidvania, which is still very popular to this day. Although most of the titles in the Castlevania franchise are pretty old at this point, some of them, like 1997’s Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, are considered to be among the best games of all time.
In spite of the cultural impact that the Castlevania series has had, it has remained dormant for quite a long time. The last time Konami released a new Castlevania game for home consoles was in 2014, when it launched Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 on PS3, Xbox 360, and PC. That game, however, wasn’t even a traditional Castlevania title, and it wasn’t well-received by most fans. Although Konami has created pachislots, pachinko machines, and even mobile games that use the Castlevania branding 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 the Castlevania series led to the creation of the Bloodstained games. As many may know by now, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night was developed by several former Castlevania devs, some of whom left Konami due to their dissatisfaction with the direction of the company. In fact, both Ritual of the Night and The Scarlet Engagement were produced by Koji Igarashi, the lead producer of the Castlevania franchise. Meanwhile, Shutaro Ida, a developer who worked on several installments in the Castlevania series, served as the creative director for the two games.
There are rumors that Konami is making a new Castlevania game, but nothing has come of them so far.
Bloodstained’s Success Shows that There is a Market for a New Castlevania Game
The Bloodstained series has been very successful for ArtPlay so far, with Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night selling over 2 million copies in roughly four years. The popularity of the series proves that there is still demand for more Castlevania-inspired titles. With ArtPlay gearing up to release Bloodstained: The Scarlet Engagement in 2026, it’s about time that Konami does something with the Castlevania series. The company has already started reviving some of its older franchises, like Silent Hill and Metal Gear, so it’s only fitting that it gives Castlevania the same treatment, as well. If Bloodstained: The Scarlet Engagement ends up being a smash hit, then it will hopefully encourage Konami to bring Castlevania back as soon as possible.