Konami’s beloved Castlevania series is back in the headlines at the moment — season 2 of Castlevania: Nocturne dropped on Netflix a few weeks ago (and, spoilers, it’s very good). But the rumour mill is running, and it’s pointing towards a brand new Castlevania game.
Yesterday, Chinese-based journalist and GamesIndustry.biz contributor Daniel Camilo has heard from “reliable sources” that a brand new “AAA” Castlevania game will be revealed this year (along with a few other notable series). And Portuguese website GeekInOut has corroborated the rumours via its own sources “with knowledge of Konami’s plans”.
Of course, like all rumours, these should be taken with a healthy pinch of salt. But with the success of the Netflix series, last year’s Castlevania Dominus Collection, and the return of numerous Konami franchises — the Suikoden I & II remasters, Metal Gear Solid Delta, and last year’s critically acclaimed Silent Hill 2 remake — tongues are wagging.
We know Castlevania hasn’t necessarily been “gone”, with Netflix largely picking up the slack, and Konami occasionally rewarding us with the odd Castlevania retro collection — and they’re all really darn good. But, let’s be honest, the last brand new console Castlevania game was 2014’s Lords of Shadow 2, and the Lords of Shadow sub-series in itself was a fairly controversial change in direction for the Belmont’s storied saga.
Otherwise, the last “new” Castlevania game we got was a remake of Haunted Castle, included in last year’s Dominus Collection. The series has essentially been relegated to cameos and spin-offs, with Vampire Survivors‘ outstanding Ode to Castlevania DLC and Dead Cells‘ own Return to Castlevania DLC being the highlights.
11 years is a long time to go without a new entry, and we’ve made no secret about wanting to see the Belmonts make their grand return. Heck, with almost every single Castlevania game actually playable on Switch, we’d even be happy to see Symphony of the Night get a port.
The thing is, just how does Castlevania return in 2025? We’re sure, if you’re reading this, you’d like to see the franchise make a return, but Konami has taken the games in multiple different directions.
.
The series started out as a side-scrolling action-platform one — with a brief detour into some more RPG-leaning mechanics for the second game. Then there’s the jump to 3D on the N64, PlayStation 2, and Xbox era. And Lords of Shadow (made by Metroid: Samus Returns and Metroid Dread‘s very own MercurySteam) took a more character-action approach.
But Castlevania nowadays is most well known for birthing the Metroidvania genre thanks to that aforementioned PS1 outing with Alucard. Experience, stats, levels, and equipment were added, as well as a huge interconnected map and tons of hidden secrets.
The genre is probably the most popular in the indie scene, and there’s no shortage of Castlevania-inspired Metroidvanias out there; heck, even Koji Igarashi, the producer of many Castlevania games, made his own in Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night. And then you have the glut of retro-style platformers with punishing difficulty.
With Konami recently revealing a 38% increase in profits last quarter, what better time to capitalise on its success than by bringing back one of its most beloved franchises? Particularly with Nocturne being a hit with fans.
We have to acknowledge, of course, that there’s no guarantee a new Castlevania will come to Switch, particularly if the “AAA” suggests a graphically intense action game along the lines of modern God of War. But if Konami decides to lean into the franchise’s roots, we could be setting funds aside for a Switch/Switch 2 Castlevania title. Konami is apparently gearing up to support the new Nintendo console; what better way than with a new Castlevania?
So, what do you think about the recent Castlevania rumours? Do you want to see Castlevania make a return? And how do you want to see Simon, Richter, Trevor, Julius, etc., make a comeback? Vote in our polls below and get discussing in the comments.
Konami's beloved Castlevania series is back in the headlines at the moment — season 2 of Castlevania: Nocturne dropped on Netflix a few weeks ago (and, spoilers, it's very good). But the rumour mill is running, and it's pointing towards a brand new Castlevania game.
Yesterday, Chinese-based journalist and GamesIndustry.biz contributor Daniel Camilo has heard from "reliable sources" that a brand new "AAA" Castlevania game will be revealed this year (along with a few other notable series). And Portuguese website GeekInOut has corroborated the rumours via its own sources "with knowledge of Konami's plans".
Of course, like all rumours, these should be taken with a healthy pinch of salt. But with the success of the Netflix series, last year's Castlevania Dominus Collection, and the return of numerous Konami franchises — the Suikoden I & II remasters, Metal Gear Solid Delta, and last year's critically acclaimed Silent Hill 2 remake — tongues are wagging.
We know Castlevania hasn't necessarily been "gone", with Netflix largely picking up the slack, and Konami occasionally rewarding us with the odd Castlevania retro collection — and they're all really darn good. But, let's be honest, the last brand new console Castlevania game was 2014's Lords of Shadow 2, and the Lords of Shadow sub-series in itself was a fairly controversial change in direction for the Belmont's storied saga.
Otherwise, the last "new" Castlevania game we got was a remake of Haunted Castle, included in last year's Dominus Collection. The series has essentially been relegated to cameos and spin-offs, with Vampire Survivors' outstanding Ode to Castlevania DLC and Dead Cells' own Return to Castlevania DLC being the highlights.
11 years is a long time to go without a new entry, and we've made no secret about wanting to see the Belmonts make their grand return. Heck, with almost every single Castlevania game actually playable on Switch, we'd even be happy to see Symphony of the Night get a port.
The thing is, just how does Castlevania return in 2025? We're sure, if you're reading this, you'd like to see the franchise make a return, but Konami has taken the games in multiple different directions.
.
The series started out as a side-scrolling action-platform one — with a brief detour into some more RPG-leaning mechanics for the second game. Then there's the jump to 3D on the N64, PlayStation 2, and Xbox era. And Lords of Shadow (made by Metroid: Samus Returns and Metroid Dread's very own MercurySteam) took a more character-action approach.
But Castlevania nowadays is most well known for birthing the Metroidvania genre thanks to that aforementioned PS1 outing with Alucard. Experience, stats, levels, and equipment were added, as well as a huge interconnected map and tons of hidden secrets.
The genre is probably the most popular in the indie scene, and there's no shortage of Castlevania-inspired Metroidvanias out there; heck, even Koji Igarashi, the producer of many Castlevania games, made his own in Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night. And then you have the glut of retro-style platformers with punishing difficulty.
With Konami recently revealing a 38% increase in profits last quarter, what better time to capitalise on its success than by bringing back one of its most beloved franchises? Particularly with Nocturne being a hit with fans.
We have to acknowledge, of course, that there's no guarantee a new Castlevania will come to Switch, particularly if the "AAA" suggests a graphically intense action game along the lines of modern God of War. But if Konami decides to lean into the franchise's roots, we could be setting funds aside for a Switch/Switch 2 Castlevania title. Konami is apparently gearing up to support the new Nintendo console; what better way than with a new Castlevania?
So, what do you think about the recent Castlevania rumours? Do you want to see Castlevania make a return? And how do you want to see Simon, Richter, Trevor, Julius, etc., make a comeback? Vote in our polls below and get discussing in the comments.
