The creator of the game formerly known as Bloodborne Kart has announced she plans to delay the game's release and "scrub the branding off" after being contacted by Sony about the kart racer's use of, well, Bloodborne.
WHELP. IT HAPPENED
— ?? PSX Bunlith??️⚧️ BLM ACAB ?? (@b0tster) January 26, 2024
Sony contacted me ?
Long story short I need to scrub the branding off of what was previously known as Bloodborne Kart, which we will do. But that requires a short delay.
Don't worry, the game is still coming out! It'll just look slightly different ?
Today, Lilith Walker, or PSX Bunlith (@b0tster) on X/Twitter posted a thread explaining that Sony had reached out, with the end result being that she needed to update the in-progress kart racer to get rid of anything that was too close to copyright infringement.
Walker seems to be taking the change in stride. Her thread continued, saying that "we were all expecting this to happen so we could be pleasantly surprised if it didn't," and that she'd have to push the release date as a result, but that she was excited about the transition from a fan game to an original game that the team would have "full creative control over."
Composer Evelyn Lark chimed in as well, expressing excitement to get to work on "an original (albeit familiar) soundtrack".
It’s tough news, but we’re all really excited to adjust this into a project we have more direct control over. Plus, this opens up the opportunity for an original (albeit familiar) soundtrack! https://t.co/1AY6PO7ryb
— Evelyn Lark (@TheNobleDemon) January 26, 2024
Bloodborne Kart, or I suppose just 'Kart' now that it can't be about Bloodborne anymore, was originally planned for a release on January 31, 2024. Originally revealed back in 2022, Bloodborne Kart was originally a fan community meme taken to its logical confusion: a PS1-style kart racer with characters, karts, and environments directly derived from Bloodborne. It is expected to include 12 racers, 16 maps, boss fights, a campaign, a battle mode, and split-screen multiplayer.
No word yet on when we'll be able to play Not-Bloodborne Kart, but you can currently play Bloodborne PSX, which is a PS1-style Bloodborne de-make from the same team working on Not-Bloodborne Kart.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.
