Why is Castlevania struggling to thrive as it should?

Castlevania: NocturneThe second season of was released last weekend and critics and fans are raving about it. This is not surprising; from the beginning both original Castlevania and this spinoff received acclaim for their writing and animation and for successfully adapting the games to television. This is reflected in viewership; Netflix hasn’t released any numbers or milestones, but fans and Powerhouse Animation staff have shared screenshots of the show emerging top 10 in territories such as the United States and The Philippinesof which they are more than proud.

What is it’s surprising how at the time of writing, NocturneThe future of is more unclear than you might expect. Late last year, Powerhouse said it would shut up before the debut of the second season, while waiting to learn if the show would be renewed, and the people at the studio quite specifically urged fans to watch the new season. In comparison, Netflix announced a renewal of the original Castlevania just days after the start of the season. (Fourth seasonfor example, it was greenlit a full year before the third season was released.) Regardless of whether this series already had a four-season contract, or if it was actually only two seasons divided into many partsat least you got the impression that the streamer saw something in it and wanted to encourage it.

By now, Netflix is ​​more than aware of this Castlevania is a leading brand for its animation and the Powerhouse name carries some weight. The studio has proven to be a reliable partner and these two adaptations benefit both the studio and the streamer. For Powerhouse, the show allowed him to adapt other properties such as Masters of the Universe and Tomb Raider, plus take on original ventures Six hands and The blood of Zeus. Meanwhile, Netflix was able to use On Castlevania clout to be caught other franchises under his umbrella, from League of Legends to Cyberpunk 2077 and BioShock. Even its general focus on YA and adult animation—Gentry Chow, big mouth and whatever else – and the anime can be traced back to the original Castlevania blew up back in 2017 For a venture that has played such a hand in the new boom in game adaptations, and from a streamer that previously franchised, hits immediatelythe whole situation around Castlevania: Nocturneis more than a little weird.

You know what else is weird? Konami does not respond to Castlevania ad when you don’t have anything related to the game at hand. After 2014 lords of shadow 2, the series has basically been on ice, except for recent remasters and crossover expansions with Dead cells and Surviving vampires. While Konami is getting back into game development with remakes and new games for Silent Hill and Metal Gear Solid, there was nothing specific for the full return of its vampire franchise. We know game adaptations attracted attention to their source material and lead to people picking up these games for the first or tenth time. It’s certainly a missed opportunity not to build on the momentum of these two animated series with a game project or even an announcement that something is in the works – fans have been clamoring for a new Castlevania game even before the show dropped, so it’s not like Konami is completely in the dark here.

Again, the collective lack of support on both sides Castlevania it’s strange when you think about its overall meaning. The games were beloved for decades and helped create an entire genre that continues to this day, while the shows ushered in the new wave of transmedia ventures that Hollywood very keen when continuing. Before we know it, this Netflix original series will be a decade old, and it will feel wrong to have made strides for a medium but not the one in which it originated.

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