Creator of Bloodborne 60fps Patch Says Sony Has Sent Him a DMCA Takedown — but Why Now?

The creator of the high-profile Bloodborne 60fps patch, Lance McDonald, has announced that he received a DMCA takedown from Sony Interactive Entertainment. In a tweet, McDonald shared that he was asked to remove all links to the patch he had posted online, and he complied with the request. This development follows McDonald's previous discussions about the patch, notably in a 2021 YouTube video where he detailed his work. He also recounted a humorous exchange with former PlayStation executive Shuhei Yoshida, where he mentioned creating the 60fps mod for Bloodborne, which led to Yoshida laughing heartily.

Bloodborne, developed by FromSoftware and released on the PS4, has become a significant point of contention in the gaming community. Despite its critical and commercial success, Sony has not released any official updates, leaving fans yearning for a next-gen patch to boost the game's frame rate from 30fps to 60fps. There are also ongoing demands for a remaster and a sequel. In the absence of official updates, modders like McDonald have stepped in, while recent advancements in PS4 emulation, highlighted by Digital Foundry's coverage of ShadPS4, have enabled fans to experience Bloodborne at 60fps on PC. This progress in emulation could potentially be a factor in Sony's aggressive takedown action. IGN has reached out to Sony for a statement on the matter.

In an interview with Kinda Funny Games, Yoshida offered 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 and may be reluctant to let anyone else handle it, despite being too busy to work on it himself. Yoshida speculated that the PlayStation team respects Miyazaki's wishes, though he emphasized that this was only his personal theory and not insider information.

Bloodborne remains untouched nearly a decade after its initial release, with Miyazaki often avoiding direct questions about its future by citing FromSoftware's lack of ownership over the IP. However, in a February interview last year, Miyazaki acknowledged that the game could benefit from being released on more modern hardware, hinting at potential future developments.