Sony Talks Bloodborne and The Order 1886 Gameplay Details With PlayStation LifeStyle

In a preview event held by Sony last week, PlayStation LifeStyle managed to snag Marketing Manager, Asia Strategy Department of Sony Computer Entertainment Japan Asia. Arata Naito, for a one-on-one chat regarding Ready at Dawn’s The Order: 1886, and From Software’s Bloodborne.

While Naito couldn’t reveal much, he did his best to answer the question we threw at him, which you can read in the transcript below.

PlayStation LifeStyle: When people see The Order as a graphical showcase for the PS4, some have mentioned that the gameplay isn’t really that groundbreaking, but the graphics are outstanding. Was that (graphics) one of the main reasons why Sony is pushing for The Order as a game? Or is it going to be something new for the third-person genre.

Arata Naito: The graphics quality of the game is outstanding. And of course, that’s not the only reason we’re pushng the order as one of our main titles. We haven’t revealed much about the game, but when the game comes out on Feb 20, I think there will be nice surprises we can look forward to.

PSLS: Is Sony aiming for The Order to be one of its big franchises? Say like God of War, Uncharted? Is Sony aming for it (The Order) to be just as big?

Arata: The studio is focusing on completing The Order: 1886, and we don’t have any details to share about what’s next at this time.

PSLS: The developer behind The Order is Ready at Dawn, they’re known as the developers behind the PSP versions of God of War. What’s the reason why the studio is spearheading the development on a new IP? Why not have them work on a PS4 version of God of War?

Arata: Ready at Dawn always wanted to create The Order: 1886 as an original IP. And the idea was there for a long time, but with the PS4 they were finally able to realize their vision and that’s why they’re working on the PS4.

PSLS: Do you have plans for a demo before The Order’s release on the 20th?

Arata: There’s no plans for a demo.

PSLS: What’s the reason for not including multiplayer in The Order?

Arata: The studio wanted to focus on telling the story of The Order as a single-player experience.

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PSLS: Can you give us a rough estimate on how long the game is? Like how many hours it will take to finish?

Arata: It really depends on how long players play the game. There is a lot of exploration elements, items you can pick up and it really depends on the player. I would say the game length is comparable to other AAA third-person shooters.

PSLS: You mentioned before that there’s no plans for a sequel for The Order, does that mean there’s a proper ending to the game? It’s not going to be a cliffhanger or alluding to something more as DLC? Is it going to be a story that’s properly done?

Arata: I think that’s something you’d just have to find out as you play the game (laughs). I really don’t want to spoil it.

PSLS: What’s the plan for The Order’s DLC? We know there’s pre-order bonuses like weapons, outfits. Do you have plans for additional missions or maybe something more?

Arata: At this point, the studio’s focus is on completing the game. At this point there’s no plans.

PSLS: Bloodborne is a spiritual successor of the Demon Souls franchise, right? Why did From (From Software) continue down that road instead of developing a new IP?

Arata: It was the right timing for Sony Computer Entertainment and also From Software to team up again. Since From Software wanted to create a new game — a new IP. And since we have a new console coming up we also have a new console coming out, so it’s actually a perfect timing, perfect combination to work together.

PSLS: How come Bloodborne isn’t coming to PS3? What’s the main reason for it?

Arata: PS3? Not only Bloodborne but also The Order. These are the games made possible only with PS4, because of PS4’s graphical capability and processing power. These games cannot be created on PS3.

PSLS: Are there plans for a Bloodborne demo before release?

Arata: Nope.

PSLS: Are there any plans on making a Season Pass for Bloodborne? Where you can buy all the content at one price? Additional story missions, items, weapons…are there any plans on the marketing side?

Arata: At this point, there’s no concrete plans. But what we can say, is if you’ve played the Dark Souls franchise, you can expect the same level of online content and online features. I think we’ve revealed the Chalice Dungeon, and that’s one of the unique online experience the studio is making.

PSLS: Our readers will hate me if I don’t ask this, what’s happening to The Last Guardian? Any news at all or any update? Anything at all?