Renewed speculation about a Bloodborne remake or sequel ignites following its inclusion in PlayStation's 30th-anniversary video. This article explores the latest news and the PS5's recent update.

PlayStation's 30th Anniversary Celebration: A Bloodborne Finale

Bloodborne's Appearance in the Anniversary Trailer

The highly acclaimed PS4 exclusive, Bloodborne, featured prominently in PlayStation's 30th-anniversary trailer, accompanied by the caption, "It's about persistence." While other titles were also showcased, the inclusion of Bloodborne fueled intense fan speculation regarding a potential remaster or sequel.

Set to a unique arrangement of The Cranberries' "Dreams," the trailer highlighted PlayStation's most iconic games, including Ghost of Tsushima, God of War, Helldivers 2, and more. Each game featured a thematic caption; for instance, Final Fantasy 7 was captioned "It's about fantasy," and Resident Evil, "It's about fear." The concluding shot of Bloodborne and its caption, however, sparked significant fan excitement.

Despite the absence of concrete information before and after the trailer's release, fans continue to speculate about a Bloodborne 2 or a remastered version with enhanced visuals and a 60fps frame rate. This isn't the first instance of such speculation; on August 17th, a post on PlayStation Italia's Instagram featuring iconic Bloodborne locations similarly ignited fan fervor.

The trailer's ending, featuring Bloodborne, could simply acknowledge the game's notoriously high difficulty, emphasizing the player's need for persistence, rather than hinting at upcoming updates.

PS5 Update: Customizable UI

To commemorate its 30th anniversary, Sony released a PS5 update including a limited-time PS1 boot-up sequence and customizable themes inspired by past PlayStation consoles. Themes spanning the PS1 to PS4 eras, along with a 30th-anniversary theme, allow players to revisit the nostalgia of past PlayStation experiences.

This update enables PS5 users to personalize their home screen's design and sound effects based on older consoles. After installing the update, navigate to PS5 Settings, select "PlayStation 30th Anniversary," and then "Appearance and Sound" to customize your home screen.

While the update, particularly the return of the PS4 UI, has been well-received, its limited-time availability has disappointed some players. Speculation suggests this might be a test by Sony to gauge interest in broader UI customization options for the PS5 in the future.

Sony's Potential Handheld Console

The wave of speculation extends beyond the PS5 update. On December 2nd, 2024, Digital Foundry on YouTube corroborated Bloomberg's report about a potential PlayStation handheld console. Bloomberg's November 25th article claimed Sony is developing a handheld device for PS5 games. While still in early development, Sony aims to enter the portable gaming market currently dominated by Nintendo Switch.

Digital Foundry's John Linneman stated, "We actually heard about this handheld some months ago from a couple of sources specifically...it's interesting that this finally, sort of, started to make its rounds because it just sort of confirmed what we had seen and heard off the record."

The panelists discussed that both Microsoft and Sony entering the portable gaming market is a strategic move, given the prevalence of smartphone gaming. This suggests their handheld devices can complement mobile gaming.

While Microsoft has openly expressed interest in a handheld device, Sony remains tight-lipped. Despite the corroboration, the release of both Sony and Microsoft's handhelds may be years away, requiring the development of affordable, high-quality devices to compete with Nintendo. Meanwhile, Nintendo, seemingly ahead in the portable gaming race, announced via Twitter (X) in May 2024 that more information about the Nintendo Switch's successor will be revealed within the current fiscal year.