Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night Delayed To 2019, Vita Version No More

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, the long-awaited crowdfunded spiritual successor to Castlevania, has been pushed back to 2019. Designer and creative lead Koji Igarash made the announcement last night, apologizing “for any inconvenience or disappointment,” and assured fans that they “are working harder than ever to deliver the game.”

Bloodstained secured $5.5 million USD in Kickstarter funding back in 2015, and while there was never any specific launch date, its release window has shifted several times since then. March 2017 was the first estimated window, and its most recent push back prior to this one was made in 2016, with a vague “2018” release window.

At the time of that delay, Igarashi noted that changes were needed otherwise "the game may not end up meeting my quality standards." In this update, Igarashi cited the same reasons for postponing the game's release until 2019, saying more time is needed "to raise the quality level, especially after all the very valuable feedback from the Beta Backer Demo".

Also mentioned in the update is the news that the planned PlayStation Vita version is no more. Igarashi explained that it was no longer feasible" due to Sony's plans to discontinue the Vita console, ending production of physical copies and stopping certain online store support features." Backers that ordered the Vita version can either choose another platform to receive the game on or request a refund.

Igarashi concluded, "Please bear with us for a little longer and I thank you for your continued support." Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night will release on Switch, PC, Xbox One, and PS4 next year.

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