The creator of the much-discussed Bloodborne 60fps patch, Lance McDonald, has recently announced that he received a DMCA takedown notice from Sony Interactive Entertainment. In a tweet, McDonald shared that he was asked to remove all online links to the patch he created, and he has complied with the request. The patch, which was released in 2021, aimed to enhance the gameplay experience by boosting the frame rate to 60fps from the original 30fps.
McDonald also shared an amusing anecdote about his encounter with former PlayStation executive Shuhei Yoshida. During a conversation, McDonald mentioned his work on the 60fps mod for Bloodborne, to which Yoshida responded with laughter, indicating a light-hearted acknowledgment of the modding community's efforts.
Bloodborne, developed by FromSoftware and released on the PS4, has been a subject of intense fan interest since its launch. Despite its critical and commercial success, Sony has not pursued any official updates or enhancements for the game. The community's desire for a next-gen patch, a remaster, or even a sequel remains unfulfilled, pushing enthusiasts like McDonald to fill the void with unofficial mods.
Recently, the gaming community saw a significant advancement with the development of PS4 emulators. Digital Foundry highlighted a breakthrough in PS4 emulation via the ShadPS4 project, enabling Bloodborne to be played from start to finish at 60fps on PC. This development might have prompted Sony's more aggressive stance on unauthorized modifications, as evidenced by the DMCA notice sent to McDonald. IGN has reached out to Sony for a statement on this matter.
In a recent interview with Kinda Funny Games, Shuhei Yoshida shared his personal theory on why Bloodborne has not seen any updates. Yoshida, who has left his first-party role at PlayStation, suggested that FromSoftware's director, Hidetaka Miyazaki, might be reluctant to allow others to work on the game due to his deep personal attachment to it. Yoshida theorized that Miyazaki's busy schedule and success with other projects could be factors in the game's dormancy, and that the PlayStation team respects Miyazaki's wishes.
Despite Miyazaki often avoiding direct questions about Bloodborne's future, he acknowledged in a February interview last year that the game could benefit from being released on more modern hardware. As we approach nearly a decade since Bloodborne's initial release, fans continue to hold out hope for any official developments, even as the game remains untouched by its creators.
