• Bluepoint Games Closure: Sony has inexplicably shut down the renowned studio behind beloved remakes like Shadow of the Colossus and PS5's launch hit, Demon's Souls.
  • Community Outcry: Fans are baffled and furious, especially given Bluepoint's lack of output since its 2021 acquisition.
  • Bloodborne C&D Revelation: In the wake of Bluepoint's closure, fan developer Maxime Foulquier disclosed a cease-and-desist from Sony regarding his Bloodborne Top Down Arena project.
  • Official Remake Speculation: This C&D reignites the long-standing theory that an official Bloodborne remake is in Sony's pipeline, despite the shuttering of a prime candidate studio.

Sony Pulls the Plug on Bluepoint Games – A Head-Scratching Move

In a decision that has sent shockwaves through the PlayStation community, Sony has made the bewildering choice to close Bluepoint Games. This isn't just any studio; we're talking about the wizards who breathed new life into classics like Shadow of the Colossus and delivered a phenomenal PS5 launch experience with Demon's Souls. The collective gamer frustration is palpable, with many baffled that the studio didn't even get to release a single title following its acquisition back in 2021. For veteran gamers like us, it’s a tough pill to swallow. Many of us were genuinely scratching our heads, wondering why Bluepoint wasn't tapped to helm the recently teased God of War Trilogy Remake. And for the Bloodborne faithful, there was always that glimmer of hope that the studio was secretly toiling away on a remake of the fan-favourite PS4 exclusive. It seems those hopes were just as quickly dashed with yesterday's news.

The Bloodborne Fan Project Conundrum

As if to pour salt on already gaping wounds, the Bluepoint debacle has coincidentally dragged another fan-made Bloodborne project into the spotlight. Following the announcement of Bluepoint's closure, dedicated fan developer Maxime Foulquier revealed he received a cease-and-desist letter from Sony's IP lawyers, requesting he stop building his top-down take on Bloodborne. Foulquier himself had previously mused on the risks involved with such ambitious fan projects, taking to social media to state:
"HUNTERS! I haven't touched Bloodborne Remake for a year for 50 reasons (too big, too risky to finally be C&D). But last week I decided to start a new project from scratch, Bloodborne Top Down Arena Maybe you won't like it, but I'm enjoying developing it and playing it 😂"
It now appears Foulquier's caution was well-founded. He later shared the actual C&D, noting the timing of its revelation:
"With the closure of Bluepoint Studio, now feels like the right time to share something. Sony sent me a cease and desist letter regarding my second Bloodborne remake project that I posted about in November 2024. I was incredibly excited about this project and worked on it a lot…"
Foulquier rationalised Sony's heavy-handed approach by concluding that Bluepoint itself may have been developing a Bloodborne remake, hence the legal hammer coming down on fan efforts like his. Legally speaking, Sony is absolutely within its rights here, especially given Foulquier's use of the Bloodborne name. Additionally, Bluepoint's closure doesn't necessarily mean there isn't an official Bloodborne remake in the pipeline from another studio. However, this doesn't soften the blow for a fanbase already reeling. The closure of Bluepoint, paired with this C&D revelation, has left the Bloodborne community, if possible, even more frustrated than usual.

Our Take: A Disappointing Trend for PlayStation Fans

Our take at In Game News is that this entire situation is a sorry state of affairs. The sentiment perfectly encapsulated by a recent opinion piece, "Sony's Disgraceful Bluepoint Closure Should Concern Every PS Studios Fan," rings true. It's a worrying precedent when a highly capable, fan-loved studio like Bluepoint is unceremoniously shuttered, and concurrent actions like issuing C&Ds seem to hint at official projects that fans desperately want but are consistently left waiting for. Are we seeing a tightening of the reins on creativity, both internal and external, that ultimately hurts the very community that champions PlayStation? We certainly hope not, but the signs are concerning.