[Interview] Inti Creates on how Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2 came to be, series’ future, more

After the success of the original game, Inti Creates announced Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2 at the end of June. Fans didn’t need to wait long to get their hands on the sequel as it launched just a few weeks later.

Recently, Inti Creates CEO Takuya Aizu and Curse of the Moon series director Hiroki Miyazawa spoke with Nintendo Everything about Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2. We chatted about how the game came about, the possibility of a sequel (and whether it could go 32-bit), and more.

Here’s our full discussion:

Can you talk about how Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2 came together and the decision to make a sequel? How long did it ultimately take to create the game?

Aizu: Once proceeds from CotM1 exceeded the cost of providing Kickstarter backers with codes for the game, ArtPlay began receiving proper royalty payments from sales of the game. This was what made the sequel possible. I can’t speak to the exact dates, but until that time came, we had been brainstorming ideas for CotM2. Once we were able to officially form the development team, it took about 5 and a half months from the start of development to release.

We have to ask about Hachi. How did that character come about and what was his creation process like?

Miyazawa: We wanted to add a power-type character to CotM 2, and our first ideas were of generic monsters, such as a golem or Frankenstein-style monster. However, these ideas weren’t very original or surprising, and the existing designs of these monsters would end up influencing and restricting the gameplay. To best fit the gameplay we wanted, we decided to make a brand-new robot character. Our designer had the idea that the robot should have a pilot and put forth a few different ideas, such as a young girl, a baby, or a small animal. Out of all the ideas, a dog would lead to more interesting interactions with Zangetsu, so that’s what we went with.

Were there any characters that were ultimately cut? If so, can you share anything about the designs?

Miyazawa: A few designs we considered were a ninja, thief, and paladin. Some elements of their designs still exist in the game: Robert got the wall jump from the ninja and thief, and Hachi got the paladin’s defensive ability. There was also a weird design of a paladin with an enormous shield who was otherwise completely naked…

Did the team give any consideration to supporting online co-op?

Miyazawa: We decided not to include online co-op at an early stage of development. We wanted to encourage players to play side-by-side with family and friends.

Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2 received a Boss Rush update very soon after release. Are there more plans for any other post-launch updates?

Miyazawa: Personally, I have content I would like to add in updates, but presently we have no such plans.

Now that Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2 has launched, fans will probably want to know if a third game can happen. Along those lines, would Inti Creates be interested in working with a 32-bit aesthetic in a potential Curse of the Moon 3?

Miyazawa: The story comes to a rather decisive end in CotM2, so any sequel would likely not continue directly from there. Developing a game in 32-bit style would need a sizable increase in budget, so if we can expect a similar increase in sales to account for it, a 32-bit style game may be possible.

We actually had more to talk about with Inti Creates outside of Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2. Since there was so much to discuss, we’ll be publishing the second part of the interview in a separate post – look for it soon.