Konami's producer made a new Castlevania for Metroidvania fans who've never actually played Castlevania

The "Metroidvania" genre got its name from two series — Metroid and Castlevania. But as it turns out, a good chunk of the genre's fans have never actually touched one of its own namesakes. According to a Konami producer, that exact paradox is the main reason a new entry in the series, Castlevania: Belmont's Curse, exists at all.

Tsutomu Taniguchi explained in a recent interview that the idea grew out of a simple observation. He'd loved Castlevania for a long time, and after joining Konami, he kept noticing the same pattern on social media and in fan communities: people would declare their love for Metroidvanias while admitting they'd never played a single Castlevania game. Some had seen the anime, but that's as far as it went.

Taniguchi explains that the series has strong brand recognition, but that doesn't mean everyone's actually had the chance to play it. That got him thinking about what he could do about it — both as a Konami employee and as a fan. They started simple: reissuing the series in compilations to give newcomers an easy way into the classics. That's how the Castlevania Anniversary Collection arrived in 2019, the Advance Collection in 2021, and the Dominus Collection in 2024, along with a crossover DLC with Dead Cells.

But it didn't stop at reissues. Taniguchi wanted to make something entirely new too — which is how he ended up pitching Castlevania: Belmont's Curse. For the series, this is a big deal: fans have waited a full 12 years for a genuine new entry. The release is planned for October — fitting timing for a story about vampire hunters and a family curse, since that same month brings Halloween. The game is coming to PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, and Nintendo Switch 2.

It amounts to an almost educational mission: pull in the fans who love the genre but have always skipped past the series that helped name it. Whether it works remains to be seen this fall.

Are you one of those Metroidvania fans who's never played Castlevania — or have you already worked through the classics? Tell us in the comments whether you're looking forward to Belmont's Curse.