If the explosive popularity of the Metroidvania genre is any indication, Castlevania is one of the most influential game series of all time. That said, it’s been years since the franchise got a new entry, and even longer since it got a 2D entry. Thankfully, today’s PlayStation State of Play announced that the series, much like Dracula, is rising from a deep slumber. Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse, a new sidescrolling entry in the series, will drop later this year.
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The game is being developed in a partnership between Konami, which made the originals, and two indie teams: Evil Empire and Motion Twin. The latter two are best known for their work on the Dead Cells games, with Evil Empire assisting the main team at Motion Twin with post-launch updates. Dead Cells takes heavy inspiration from Castlevania, both aesthetically and mechanically, and the game even got a massive Castlevania expansion a few years ago.
Belmont’s Curse is set 23 years following Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse, which dropped in 1989 for the NES. The series has been around for quite a while, as this year is Castlevania’s 40th anniversary.Â
Belmont’s Curse is out in 2026. For more on the franchise and these developers, check out our impressions of the Return to Castlevania DLC for Dead Cells.Â
