Bloodstained DLC development is still happening, studio provides update

‘Our next update will introduce a new playable character to the game’

Bloodstained has had a really interesting run so far. It has those two fantastic, almost universally beloved spinoffs, and one very polarizing main entry. Not only was the Kickstarter itself divisive, but the game, most notably the Switch port, has been the subject of scrutiny since launch. That was over two years ago. Now the team is still having technical issues with Bloodstained DLC.

In an update for backers, IGA and the team set people’s expectations for the upcoming content updates. IGA mentions “technical issues that have slowed down [the] production timetable, and they still don’t have a release window. Plus, things have changed in terms of the content cadence.

IGA says that the next Bloodstained DLC update will be the new playable character, which is a shift from the prior plan. He provides another tease, noting: “We can confirm that this new character is NOT from the world of Bloodstained. We have been working closely with a well-known partner to bring their character (and a friend) into the game.” So Shovel Knight? It’s always Shovel Knight!

IGA confirms that you can “explore the entire map,” though different portions of it will be gated differently depending on what abilities you’ve picked up: because the character is inherently different. It’ll also level up to some extent, with “rank and class” increases.

After that, we have the chaos mode “with co-op,” as well as Vs mode with multiplayer. So there’s still quite a few things to deliver on, using this old-school lengthy Kickstarter game timetable.

In the end, Shovel Knight took multiple years to finish all their stretch goals, but the game ended up becoming an all-time classic. Bloodstained, one day, could clean up all its technical problems and have a similar reputation. For some people though, it’s already a classic.