The Bloodborne PSX demake has become the latest fan project related to the iconic game to face a copyright claim, following the takedown of the Bloodborne 60fps mod last week. Lance McDonald, the creator of the well-known 60fps mod, announced that he received a DMCA takedown notice from Sony Interactive Entertainment, requesting the removal of links to his patch. This action came four years after the mod's initial release.
Lilith Walther, the developer behind Nightmare Kart (formerly Bloodborne Kart) and the visually striking Bloodborne PSX demake, revealed on Twitter that a YouTube video showcasing the demake was hit with a copyright claim by MarkScan Enforcement. McDonald further clarified that MarkScan is a company contracted by Sony Interactive Entertainment, the same entity responsible for the DMCA notice against his 60fps patch page.
The situation has left fans puzzled and frustrated, with McDonald questioning Sony's motives: "And now they’ve DMCAed an old video about the Bloodborne PSX demake project. That’s pretty wild. What the hell are they doing??"
Bloodborne, developed by FromSoftware and released on the PS4, has been a significant enigma in the gaming world. Despite its critical and commercial success, Sony has not revisited the title, leaving fans yearning for a next-gen patch to boost the game from 30fps to 60fps, alongside calls for a remaster or a sequel.
Recent developments in PS4 emulation have allowed enthusiasts to experience a form of remaster on PC. Digital Foundry highlighted a breakthrough via ShadPS4, enabling Bloodborne to run smoothly at 60fps from start to finish. This advancement has sparked speculation about whether it prompted Sony's aggressive copyright enforcement. IGN reached out to Sony for comment, but the company has yet to respond.
In response to these events, McDonald proposed his "copium theory," suggesting that Sony might be preparing to announce an official 60fps remake. He speculated that Sony's actions could be aimed at clearing search results to avoid confusion with fan projects when announcing new developments. "My copium theory is that Sony DMCAed the 60fps patch and the video about the Bloodborne demake so that when they announce a 60fps remake, google searching for ‘bloodborne 60fps’ and ‘Bloodborne remake’ won’t have collisions with our fan projects," McDonald said.
Despite these aggressive moves, there is no concrete evidence that Sony plans to revisit Bloodborne. Shuhei Yoshida, a former PlayStation executive, shared his theory in an interview with Kinda Funny Games last month. He suggested that FromSoftware's president, Hidetaka Miyazaki, might be reluctant to let anyone else work on Bloodborne due to his deep personal attachment to the project and his busy schedule with other successful ventures.
As Bloodborne approaches its 10th anniversary, the game remains untouched by official updates. While Miyazaki has acknowledged that the game could benefit from a release on modern hardware, he often sidesteps direct questions about the game's future, citing FromSoftware's lack of ownership over the IP.
