BloodRayne gained cult status when it emerged in 2002. The claret-soaked action-adventure game saw a vampire supersoldier Rayne battle evil through different parts of history, most notably against the Nazis. It spawned a sequel, films, spinoffs, and comic books in the years after.
Now, eighteen years on, developer Terminal Reality is back, having helped Ziggurat Interactive (who bought the rights after Terminal Reality initially folded) remaster BloodRayne and its sequel with a ‘Terminal Cut’ on PC last month. We caught up with both, and asked about returning to BloodRayne, what the future might hold, and about Sundown, the game project with Guillermo Del Toro that ultimately fell through.
It’s been over 15 years since BloodRayne 2. How does it feel to come back to the series after all this time?
TRI: It was a dream to be able to go back and remake both BR1 and BR2, especially BR2. BR2 was one of those magic games where the production went very smoothly, and you can really see it in the final product. Both BloodRayne games were very successful for TRI and Majesco. Hopefully, the fans will come back to the new versions and fall in love with the wonderful Laura Bailey playing Rayne all over again as we did.
Will your involvement in these remasters help to formulate new ideas for a BloodRayne sequel? Or would you want to return to plans you may have had before?
Ziggurat: There are absolutely new ideas in the works. The fan response to the Terminal Cut editions has brought a new level of internal creativity and confidence in the future. And while we don’t have any immediate news we can announce right now, rest assured, Rayne is back. Keep an eye out for more Rayne news in 2021.
Are there any plans to build BloodRayne back up as a franchise like before? There are movies and comic books that expanded the universe of the game, but could there be other avenues? Another notable vampire game series (Vampire: The Masquerade) has been using the visual novel method to tell new stories in its universe, for instance.
Ziggurat: Rayne has had some amazing adventures outside of her first two games, including the hack and slash platformer BloodRayne Betrayal. Given how expansive her appearances are outside of video games, we’d love to see new stories told across multiple mediums. Right now all possibilities are on the table.
It feels like a good time to remind people of the series as vampires seem to be popular in media again. Do you think BloodRayne could find a new audience with these remasters as a result?
Ziggurat: One of the nice things about BloodRayne is that the appeal goes beyond vampires. It’s the BloodRayne universe, it’s the heroine, it’s the supernatural, that all come together to make it unique. That’s what has allowed it to retain its core fans for almost 20 years. While the immediate appeal is strongest for people who already know the franchise, we think anyone who picks it up can immediately fall in love with the universe.
During Terminal Reality’s time, there was a clear line of horror games throughout its history. Was this a case of embracing what you know, or simply a love for the genre?
TRI: This was always a love for the genre. If you look back at the games we made, we were always ahead of the curve. For example, zombies were a big part of the original Nocturne game that came out in 1999, then in the 2000’s there was a resurgence of them including the theatrical remake of Dawn of the Dead and The Walking Dead comics and TV series.
Terminal Reality keeps company with the likes of Kojima Productions in having canceled game projects with Guillermo Del Toro. Is Sundown, or a version of it, something you’d like to return to?
TRI: We would love to still make the Sundown game, although over a decade later it would be even more of a challenge now than ever. It is nice to see that when we designed it there are still gameplay features that have never been implemented before and would still be a surprise to players. Of course, we cannot talk about those ideas for this interview. Maybe someday we will be able to make it…
BloodRayne and BloodRayne 2: Terminal Cut are available now on PC via GoG.com and Steam.
source https://bloody-disgusting.com/video-games/3643140/interview-bloodrayne-developers-discuss-remasters-series-future-lost-gdt-project/
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