The creator of the highly acclaimed Bloodborne 60fps patch, Lance McDonald, has recently announced via a tweet that he received a DMCA takedown notice from Sony Interactive Entertainment. This notice compelled him to remove all links to the patch he had shared online. McDonald shared his experience in a tweet, stating, "I received a DMCA takedown on behalf of Sony Interactive Entertainment asking that I remove links to the patch I posted on the internet, so I've now done so."
In a related anecdote, McDonald recalled a light-hearted encounter with former PlayStation executive Shuhei Yoshida. During their meeting, McDonald mentioned his work on the 60fps mod for Bloodborne, to which Yoshida responded with laughter, highlighting the friendly yet unofficial nature of their discussion.
Bloodborne, developed by FromSoftware and released on the PS4, has become a significant enigma within the gaming community. Despite its critical and commercial success, Sony has yet to release an official next-gen patch to enhance the game's performance to 60fps from its original 30fps. The demand for a remaster or a sequel continues to grow among fans, leaving enthusiasts like McDonald to fill the void with unofficial mods.
Recently, advancements in PS4 emulation technology, particularly through the efforts of ShadPS4 as analyzed by Digital Foundry, have allowed Bloodborne to be fully playable on PC at 60fps. This development raises questions about whether such breakthroughs might have prompted Sony's aggressive stance on the unauthorized patches. IGN has reached out to Sony for a statement on the matter.
In an interview with Kinda Funny Games, Shuhei Yoshida shared his personal theory on why Bloodborne has not seen further development. He suggested that FromSoftware's director, Hidetaka Miyazaki, is deeply attached to the game and might be reluctant to let anyone else handle a remaster or sequel due to his busy schedule and high standards. Yoshida emphasized that this was merely a theory and not an insider revelation.
Despite nearly a decade passing since Bloodborne's initial release, the game remains untouched officially. However, there is a glimmer of hope as Miyazaki has acknowledged in past interviews that the game could benefit from being updated for modern hardware, although he often redirects questions to the fact that FromSoftware does not own the IP.
