As the Bloodborne PSX Demake Becomes the Latest Fan-Project to Suffer a Copyright Claim, the Creator of Bloodborne's 60fps Mod Has Offered His ‘Copium’ Official Remake Theory

The Bloodborne PSX demake, a recent fan project, has become the latest victim of a copyright claim, following last week's takedown of the Bloodborne 60fps mod. Lance McDonald, the well-known creator of the 60fps mod, announced a takedown notification from Sony Interactive Entertainment, requiring the removal of all online links to his patch—four years after its release.

Now, Lilith Walther, creator of Nightmare Kart (formerly Bloodborne Kart) and the impressive Bloodborne PSX demake, reported a copyright claim by MarkScan Enforcement on a YouTube video showcasing her work. McDonald confirmed MarkScan's connection to Sony, noting they were also responsible for the DMCA takedown of his 60fps patch. He expressed bewilderment at these actions, stating, "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's continued absence from the modern gaming landscape is a significant point of contention. While the FromSoftware title achieved critical and commercial success on PS4, Sony has remained inactive regarding it. Fan demand for a 60fps patch, a remaster, or even a sequel remains high.

Recently, advancements in PS4 emulation, specifically ShadPS4, as highlighted by Digital Foundry, have enabled near-remaster quality gameplay at 60fps on PC. This breakthrough raises questions about whether it triggered Sony's aggressive response. IGN has reached out to Sony for comment, but has yet to receive a reply.

McDonald offered a speculative theory, suggesting Sony's actions might be a preemptive measure to clear the way for an official 60fps remake announcement. He posited that removing fan projects from search results related to "Bloodborne 60fps" and "Bloodborne remake" would prevent conflicts when an official release is announced. He added that this might be necessary for trademarking those phrases.

Despite these actions, Sony hasn't indicated any plans to revive Bloodborne. Last month, former PlayStation executive Shuhei Yoshida offered his perspective in an interview with Kinda Funny Games, suggesting that Hidetaka Miyazaki's deep personal attachment to Bloodborne, and his current workload, may prevent him from allowing anyone else to work on a remaster or update. Yoshida clarified this was merely his personal theory.

Bloodborne remains dormant nearly a decade after its release. While Miyazaki often deflects questions about the game, citing FromSoftware's lack of IP ownership, he did acknowledge in February 2023 that a release on modern hardware would be beneficial.