FromSoftware fans convinced The Duskbloods is a Bloodborne sequel – here’s the truth

A new Soulslike game, The Duskbloods, was revealed during the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct, and FromSoft fans are desperately trying to connect it to Bloodborne.

While all FromSoftware’s Souls games have a similar grimdark vibe, the first trailer for The Duskbloods showed a world that looks eerily similar to Yharnam, the location where Bloodborne takes place. Not only are both games set in a comparable era, one that makes use of firearms and mechanical contraptions, but they’re also both fixated on blood and the moon.

Characters in the trailer also wear near-identical attire to the Hunters from Bloodborne with even some bosses looking incredibly similar to many of the beasts we had to put down on the mean streets of Yharnam. So with all these shared themes and ideas, it’s no wonder that fans are drawing parallels between The Duskbloods and Bloodborne.

Bloodborne similarities in The Duskbloods

When spotting the similarities between both games the theme of blood hasn’t been lost on players. Like Bloodborne, characters in The Duskbloods appear to be afflicted with something in their blood, which most likely either gives them superpowers or turns them into monstrous beasts. The blood is also implied to have healing or transformative qualities.

The moon also seems important to the story and setting of The Duskbloods, with there even being a malevolent-looking potential boss character who’s basically the moon with a mean face. Bloodborne players who made it to the end of the game will know how much of an impact the moon made on the story, especially for certain characters, and it looks like The Duskbloods will share these ideas.

All this has made many Bloodborne fans wonder if the upcoming Switch 2 game could be a prequel to Bloodborne, possibly even an origin story for the Vileblood characters, or some other noble family from Yharnam’s past. However, while the similarities are stark, there are some undeniable reasons as to why the two games are likely not connected.

Is The Duskbloods a Bloodborne sequel?

No. As far as any official connection between The Duskbloods and Bloodborne goes, it’s highly unlikely that both games are set in the same universe. Therefore, we’re almost certain that the Switch 2 exclusive won’t be a sequel or a prequel to Sony’s PS4 masterpiece.

FromSoftware may be the developer of both games and has absolutely borrowed ideas from Bloodborne and Elden Ring for The Duskbloods, but the games being owned by different publishers is the main barrier between them being part of the same canon.

As The Duskbloods is a new game, designed exclusively for a Nintendo console, the chances of it being connected to a Sony exclusive are slim to none. A similar situation happened between Demon’s Souls and Dark Souls.

While the latter started out life as a sequel to Demon’s Souls, eventually, publishing rights changes meant it needed to be turned into its own franchise. While Dark Souls is a spiritual successor to Demon’s Souls – it even shares some of the same themes, weapons, and characters, it’s not a sequel.

There’s been no evidence to suggest that The Duskbloods started out as a Bloodborne sequel, however, FromSoft has likely used ideas intended for Bloodborne, which went on to become something entirely new. This would explain why both games look so similar.

FromSoft is also well aware of how much clamor there is for more Bloodborne, so sees The Duskbloods as a way of scratching an itch that many players have – even if it’s only until they can make an official Bloodborne sequel.

The Miyazaki Multiverse theory

Of course, not even Nintendo, Sony, or FromSoftware can stop players from developing their own headcanon. Some Souls fans have always been convinced that there’s some kind of connection between the various Souls entries, even when there officially can’t be.

Demon’s Souls, Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Elden Ring are the games often suspected of being linked together, and The Duskbloods is now likely to be included in this line-up. Of course, all of the above games are set in their own self-contained universes, but that hasn’t stopped players from theorizing that they could be part of a multiverse – regardless of who owns the rights to each.

FromSoftware and various publishers, like Sony and Bandai Namco, have long denied this, but the multiverse conspiracists were somewhat vindicated by the announcement of Elden Ring Nightreign. This game will see bosses and characters from the Dark Souls games invade a parallel version of Elden Ring’s universe, effectively confirming some of the multiverse theory.

However, this is likely a one-off for Nightreign and only happened so that FromSoft could squeeze more bosses into the game. It was only possible because Bandai Namco is the original publisher of every Dark Souls game, along with Elden Ring, so they can do what they want with the characters. However, such a crossover would exclude games like Demon’s Souls and Bloodborne, as they are Sony properties.

Of course, Sony is now the majority owner of FromSoftware, so hope for a true Bloodborne sequel remains. However, while The Duskbloods is not this, it may be the start of something that becomes equally beloved.