Bloodhunt Boss Explains Why It's Only On PS5 And PC
Proving there's still lifeblood in the sometimes stagnant battle royale genre, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodhunt takes the long-running World of Darkness franchise and cashes in on the popularity of BR games. While Fortnite and Call of Duty: Warzone reign supreme, Bloodhunt and even the rumoured Halo Infinite battle royale are trying to jostle into the genre.
Sharkmob's Bloodhunt has been in early-access on Windows PC since September last year, but now, it's unfurling its wings and swooping down onto PlayStation 5 as well. Sadly, there are some notable gaps in the market, with Bloodhunt being limited to just two platforms. So, why did Sharmob only opt for a PC and PS5 release?
Why Was Bloodhunt Only Released On PC And PS5?
Click to enlargeIn Bloodhunt, you play as a member of a particular clan - fighting for survival in this gothic reimagining of Prague. As well as players picking their own Bloodhunt archetype, each clan has its own unique abilities. This vertical third-person shooter lets you take to the rooftops above Prague, with a map that feels a lot like Call of Duty: Vanguard's Hotel Royal map.
It's an interesting concept that takes an already established IP and runs with it, however, some might see it as a risk to not only nix Xbox, but the last-gen PS4. The console war is more fierce than ever, but even despite Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, it looks like Phil Spencer understands the financial sense of not making Call of Duty an Xbox-exclusive franchise.
When it comes to Bloodhunt, Game Director Craig Hubbard told the Loadout last year that the team is "squarely focused on PC and PS5 at this point." Explaining why the dev picked just PS5 and PC over a general release, Hubbard added, "Our philosophy is that we would rather be on fewer platforms at a higher quality than risk spreading ourselves too thin." Couple this with a lack of Bloodhunt crossplay, and it's a disappointing state of affairs.
Will Bloodhunt Come To Xbox?
As for the elephant in the room of whether Xbox owners will be able to enjoy this blood-soaked Prague, Hubbard previously said, "I can't really comment on the future. Not because we have something to hide, but rather because right now we're concentrating on the near term." It's not a no, but it's not exactly a promise that an Xbox port will soon follow suit. Hubbard concluded, "Launching a PvP game is a huge undertaking that requires commitment, adaptability, resourcefulness, and focus, so we can't afford a lot of distractions."
If we were betting people, we'd guess that Bloodhunt will probably completely skip a last-gen release. These days, there are relatively few new-gen exclusives, however, PS5 and Xbox Series native releases are likely to become commonplace. There are already reports that God of War Ragnarok will be the last PlayStation 4 release before PS5 becomes the norm. We'll have to wait and see whether Bloodhunt is a vampiric hit or it's staked before it even gets out of the crypt before we'll be able to speculate about it coming to Xbox.
