One thing I've been wondering about lately is what might be in store for the Castlevania IP in the next couple of years....... Like it or not, the Netflix show has at the very least put the name "Castlevania" back in the minds of the general public, and with Silent Hill and Metal Gear Solid both seeing revivals by Konami, it seems that it would be wise for a new Castlevania game to come out while the iron is still hot.
But at the same time, it seems that for all of the new rumors and leaks regarding Castlevania, none of them have been coming to fruition. The leak that predicted the Metal Gear Solid 3 remake said that Konami would reveal their new Castlevania game alongside it, but it's been months with nothing in sight. The "Project Zircon" rumor also ended up being nothing but more NFT bullshit, and every other rumor seems to be dead in the water as well. Is it because the Netflix show is profitable enough that Konami doesn't feel the need to use the IP in any other way? Do they just not think that Castlevania games are worth making anymore? Or are they really working on something, and it's just taking longer than any of us have expected to come out?
Personally, I have two trains of thought on the subject. For one, I do think that a new Castlevania game would absolutely sell in this day and age. With the popularity of retro-inspired indie games, especially of the platform-adventure (or, "Metroidvania") genre, bringing back one of "the OGs" would be a boon for Konami. And with Bloodstained selling over two million copies, more than any of the original Castlevania games, the desire among gaming audiences for Castlevania and Castlevania-like games definitely exists. But on the other hand, I don't necessarily think that Castlevania needs to make a return. As far as the main story goes, there aren't any really big gaps that need to be filled by a full new game, except the Demon Castle War. And really, with twenty years of speculation, theorizing, and fan interpretations, I don't think that anyone could make a DCW game that would be satisfactory and live up to all of the hype that it's generated. As far as I'm concerned, the story of Castlevania is over, and I'm perfectly fine with that. I would much rather see the older games be made available to generate a new audience then see Konami continue to try and expand the lore with new games, or reboot the series yet again with a new gritty, mature series to try and bring in more fans of the Netflix show.
