Sony Issues DMCA Takedown to Bloodborne 60fps Patch Creator: Why Now?

The creator of the high-profile Bloodborne 60fps patch, Lance McDonald, has announced that he received a DMCA takedown notice from Sony Interactive Entertainment. In a tweet, McDonald shared that he was asked to remove links to the patch he had posted online, and he has complied with the request. This patch, which McDonald released in 2021, aimed to enhance the performance of the acclaimed FromSoftware title, Bloodborne, on the PlayStation 4.

McDonald recounted a light-hearted interaction with former PlayStation executive Shuhei Yoshida, where he mentioned his work on the 60fps mod for Bloodborne, which elicited a hearty laugh from Yoshida. This anecdote highlights the community's efforts to improve the game's performance in the absence of official updates from Sony.

Bloodborne, released to critical and commercial success on the PS4, has been a topic of frustration for fans who are eager for a next-gen patch to boost the game's frame rate from 30fps to 60fps. There have also been calls for a remaster and a sequel, but Sony has not moved forward with any such projects. In the meantime, community members like McDonald have stepped in to address these desires. Recently, advancements in PS4 emulation, particularly through ShadPS4 as showcased by Digital Foundry, have allowed Bloodborne to be played at 60fps on PC. This development might have prompted Sony's aggressive response, though IGN has sought clarification from Sony on this matter.

In an interview with Kinda Funny Games, Yoshida shared his theory on why Bloodborne has not seen any updates or remasters. He suggested that FromSoftware's director, Hidetaka Miyazaki, is deeply attached to the game but too busy to work on it himself, and he might not want anyone else to handle it. Yoshida emphasized that this is just his personal theory and not based on insider information. He also noted that the PlayStation team respects Miyazaki's wishes.

Despite the passage of nearly a decade since its release, Bloodborne remains untouched by official updates. However, there is a glimmer of hope as Miyazaki has acknowledged in past interviews that the game could benefit from being released on more modern hardware, although he points out that FromSoftware does not own the IP.