Full Disclosure: I have financially backed Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night on Kickstarter.
505 Games and Inti Creates have announced another delay for Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night.
The game will forgo its planned release in the first half of this year for one sometime next year. Alongside the news of the delay is the confirmation that the PS Vita version has been cancelled. The game will now launch across Windows PC, Mac, Linux, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Switch.
Here’s a new video update regarding the delay:
Here’s two messages from both Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night director Koji Igarashi and 505 Games global brand manager Robert Piraino
Koji Igarashi, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night Director
Hi everyone, IGA here.
There are two important announcements we would like to make in this month’s update.
Our first announcement is that the game will now launch in 2019. The most important reason for this is to raise the quality level, especially after all the very valuable feedback from the Beta Backer Demo.
The second announcement is that the game will no longer launch on PlayStation Vita. This decision is largely due to Sony’s plans to discontinue the Vita console, ending production of physical copies and stopping certain online store support features.
It is extremely unfortunate, but as a result, we won’t be releasing the game on Vita. For the backers who have ordered the PS Vita version of the game, you will be able to choose another platform or request a refund.
This process should be expected through an email that will be sent by Fangamer. It may be troublesome, but please be sure to respond and make the changes. [Note: Vita backers will be receiving an e-mail with additional instructions soon. Vita backers who would like to change platforms can do so now on their survey pages. Vita backers who backed at an unlimited tier and can receive a refund over PayPal can submit a request before 9/20/18 to initiate a manual refund of the affected games.]
We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience or disappointment, but rest assured we are working harder than ever to deliver the game we all made happen together, please bear with us for a little longer and I thank you for your continued support.
Robert Piraino, 505 Games Global Brand Manager
Hey everyone, we’re sorry to make you wait a little longer for Bloodstained, but you can trust that this really is in the best interest of the game – and our players. We assure you we’re using the extra time to make Bloodstained even better, based on your input.
Being a huge PlayStation & Sony fan myself, I also know cancelling the Vita version of the game may be disappointing to some of you, but with Sony’s plans to discontinue the console and physical production of games, removing Vita titles from PS+ lineups etc., it was an unfortunate but necessary decision to make. We really hope you’ll continue to support us on one of the other platforms available.
If you have any concerns about these updates, please come talk to me and our great Sr. Community Manager, Jason Ryan, on Discord, Facebook, Twitter or our forums: We’re always happy to discuss and answer your questions.
Thank you again to everyone who continues to support us with your feedack and passion for Bloodstained. Stay tuned for more announcements as development progresses!
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is set to release across PC, Mac, Linux, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and the Nintendo Switch. In case you missed it, you can find our review for the game’s throwback prequel, Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon, here (we highly recommend it!).