Castlevania could come to Dead By Daylight, but we want a new game
Well this 'sucks.' We've waited for an age for news on a Castlevania revival, and while the Belmont dynasty has always done a great job of banishing those fanged fiends, it seems they're too good at their jobs. While other Konami franchises get a new lease of life, Castlevania has taken a stake to the heart.
First spreading its wings on the Famicom Disk System back in 1986, Castlevania is a staple of the side-scrolling genre and became synonymous with Konami’s big three of Castlevania, Metal Gear, and Silent Hill. Sadly, Castlevania's move to 3D in 1999 marked its downturn, eventually limping to its latest release (Lords of Shadow 2) in 2014.
Castlevania is reportedly coming to Dead by Daylight
While it's true we've had something of a Castlevania resurgence in the form of 2021's Castlevania Advance Collection and the stellar Netflix anime series, the Castlevania name is now remembered for its IP popping up elsewhere. Dead Cells' Return to Castlevania DLC was great, but it only got us wishing for a full game even more.
Over on the GamingLeaksandRumours subreddit, a solid rumour claims that Castlevania's Dracula and Vecna from Stranger Things are on their way to Dead by Daylight. Behaviour Interactive's asymmetric horror is known for its crossovers with horror legends, and while we've seen Stranger Things before, Castlevania would be a new one.
The scoop comes from the leaker who (correctly) said we were getting Child's Play and Alan Wake crossovers, so safe to say, fans are psyched that Dracula Vlad Țepeș could be spreading his wings. Unfortunately, it has only reminded us that the main Castlevania name is just dust right now.
"Castlevania fans get so much cool sh*t in every format, but still can't get a new game," grumbled one critic. Another added, "Every time I see random Castlevania content for another game it's like a stake to the heart," and a third said, "God I hope we get a Castlevania map."
A new dawn for Dracula
Click to enlargeThe only upside is that with all the love for the various Castlevania-themed crossovers and success of Netflix's Castlevania: Nocturne series as a sequel to the original, Konami is surely taking note. We've heard of testing the waters to see whether there's still an appetite for a legacy franchise, but this is ridiculous.
A 2023 Konami trademark renewal stoked the embers of a Castlevania return, but with the company previously being slammed for a lacklustre reveal of Castlevania NFTs (remember them?), our hopes were low. Nothing has come from it. The Dead Cells team teased that it could take the reins, but again, nothing yet.
There's no news on the Castlevania collab in Dead by Daylight, but with some pretty solid evidence, we hope Simon Belmont could soon be cracking his whip in the Void. With DbD being as popular as it is, could this be the kick up the backside Konami needs? Sadly, it'll probably just lead to more NFTs.
