A Demon’s Souls remaster feels as though it has been in the cards for years. It was From Software‘s first Souls game that released way back on February 5, 2009. The PS3-exclusive Demon’s Souls lost its official online servers in February 2018 just over nine years from the game’s initial release date. Fans of From Software’s Souls series have been clamoring for a remaster of Demon’s Souls for years, so where is it?
Rumors over the years have suggested again and again that a Demon’s Souls remaster or Demon’s Souls remake is coming, but it has yet to materialize. That doesn’t mean that information isn’t out there regarding a remaster, however. Here’s all the info we have on a Demon’s Souls remaster release date, platforms, developer, and more.
Demon’s Souls remaster platforms
The original Demon’s Souls was a PS3 exclusive released by Sony in Japan. Atlus published the game in North America, while Namco Bandai published Demon’s Souls in Europe. Sadly, for fans hoping the remaster will come to other platforms, Sony owns the rights to the IP.
As a result, any Demon’s Souls remaster will be a PS4 exclusive. While Sony has yet to release a remaster of the game, the company likely understands the game’s worth, and wouldn’t sell the IP anytime soon. Some rumors suggest the Demon’s Souls remaster might end up coming to the inevitable PS5, although that system still appears to be a ways off. In any case, expect the Demon’s Souls remaster to remain a PlayStation-only affair.
Demon’s Souls remaster developer
From’s Hidetaka Miyazaki, director of much of the “Soulsborne” series, told Game Informer that he isn’t interested in having From Software remaster Demon’s Souls. Miyazaki does think a remaster is possible, although From Software is not interested in creating it. He did say that in any case, it’s up to Sony to greenlight the project. Miyazaki isn’t opposed to another studio working on a Demon’s Souls remaster, as long as that studio “really loved the original work.”
That studio, it seems, is Bluepoint Games. Bluepoint Games is an Texas-based developer known for its work on remasters and game collections. The studio was founded in 2006, and has had a strong working relationship with Sony ever since. Bluepoint developed The Ico & Shadow of the Colossus Collection, the God of War Collection, the Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection, Gravity Rush Remastered, and the PS4 Shadow of the Colossus remaster for Sony. Their last three releases have been well-received remasters of first-party Sony titles, with 2018’s Shadow of the Colossus garnering praise for its revitalization of the PS2 classic.
The idea that Bluepoint is working on a Demon’s Souls remaster has some weight behind it. Last year a ResetEra user uncovered the résumé of a Bluepoint Games character artist. That artist, Justin Dewey, was working on “character, armour, and weapon assets” for a to-be-announced project. The chances of it being cross-generational are high, as job listings from July 2018 said their project is for “current- and next-gen game systems.”
Bluepoint itself has confirmed its next project is another remake. Bluepoint president and co-owner Marco Thrush told Eurogamer and Digital Foundry’s Richard Leadbetter as much in March 2018. The developer greatly expanded its art team during development of Shadow of the Colossus on PS4, and have hinted at a similar level of asset recreation for their next project. It’s possible that Bluepoint Games is developing something else entirely, but its close relationship with Sony and other information about its next game heavily suggest a Demon’s Souls remaster.
Demon’s Souls remaster or remake
Whether a Demon’s Souls remaster or a Demon’s Souls remake is coming has been up for debate over the years. A straight remaster with updated visuals running at higher resolutions might be all that many fans are looking for. The original game ran at 720p on the PS3 with a 30 framerate cap. The game regularly dropped frames to the low 20s, and a PS4 remaster could push the game to a silky smooth 60 fps. A resolution and framerate bump feel like positive if minimal changes for a Demon’s Souls remaster.
Bluepoint Games, however, has been known to go a little above and beyond a resolution and framerate remaster. The Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection PS4 bundle altered assets throughout the three Uncharted games and also updated the control schemes and brought the games to a 1080p 60 fps native output. Bluepoint’s version of Shadow of the Colossus on PS4 feels like a full-on remake, even though the original PS2 code is still running somewhere underneath all that new tech.
The studio’s in-house art team recreated the look and feel of the PS2 classic with high-fidelity art all while keeping the game’s original vibe. A Demon’s Souls remake could go in this direction, giving the original the resolution and framerate bumps it needs alongside a fresh coat of paint. If Demon’s Souls is Bluepoint’s next game, the Shadow of the Colossus PS4 route might be the most likely path.
Demon’s Souls remaster release date
The Demon’s Souls remaster release date eludes us all, but hopefully, it comes sooner rather than later. If Demon’s Souls is coming solely to the PS4, we could see it as early as later this year. While Sony is no longer having an E3 presentation, it could still announce the remake sometime this year.
If a Demon’s Souls remaster is coming to both PS4 and PS5, the game will likely come alongside the PS5 release. The PlayStation 5 has been rumored to release in 2020, so expect a Demon’s Souls remaster before the end of 2020.
A Demon’s Souls remaster has been heavily rumored for years, and Bluepoint Games fits the bill for passionate developer picking up the remaster. Hopefully, we’ll be enjoying the Demon’s Souls remaster before 2021.
