Animation adaptations for video games have seemingly been a hit concept for Netflix, as their original Castlevania series proved to be a critical and commercial success for the streaming giant. IPs like Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed, Splinter Cell, and Far Cry are among the next to get adaptations, and with atmosphere changing like this, FromSoftware's acclaimed games could be a great source of content.
Their Souls games created a new subgenre as Metroid and Castlevania did in the past, and fan-favorite Bloodborne still managed to carve out a particularly special place in gamers' hearts. From themes to action and aesthetics, it has plenty of potential to inspire an enthralling animated adaptation.
The Victorian-Era, Gothic-Horror Setting
FromSoftware certainly popularized itself in the gaming industry for creating stunning dark-fantasy worlds, but Bloodborne took the typical setting they used at that point and blended it with other flavors. Dark-fantasy was still very much present, but adding Victorian-era Gothic horror to the mix made Yharnam a hauntingly fresh setting to be thrown into.
A top-tier director adapting a Bloodborne movie could be a sight to behold, but an animated adaptation could allow for a studio to illustrate a uniquely bleak yet beautiful world in a way that live-action may not quite capture. Netflix's Castlevania could serve as a blueprint for how such environments and architecture could look like in this format.
Bloodborne's High-Octane, Brutal Action
Another important aspect that could be adapted magnificently from the world of Bloodborne is its unique brand of high-octane, visceral, and brutal fights. Once again thanks to Castlevania, fans will surely know that such fast-paced action is possible given what Powerhouse Animation pulled off in their own show.
Bloodborne broke the mold a bit for how FromSoftware action-RPGs played, in that it largely rewarded players for speed and near-unrelenting aggression. Meanwhile, Demon's Souls and Dark Souls (particularly DS2 & 3) encouraged players to be more methodical and analyze enemies more slowly. Given the horrors that Yharnam has to offer and the cathartic combat gameplay mechanics, fans would be in for a treat with some slick, stylish, and gory action.
Plenty Of Lore & Worldbuilding
All of the games that fall under the colloquial "Soulsborne" umbrella by FromSoftware take a much different approach to narrative and storytelling. The story happening at the moment is told through minimal dialogue and cutscenes with NPCs, and with flavor text of items discovered and picked up throughout their worlds that clue the player in on the lore and worldbuilding for things that matter in the present.
Despite that, there's certainly room for creativity in expanding on the moment-to-moment story and dialogue with the characters available. Concise flashback sequences could give context to the buildup of Yharnam's disastrous state and origins of the Hunter's Nightmare, while storylines involving characters like Father Gascoigne would make for some compelling--and heart-wrenching--subplots.
Rising Prominence Of Western Animation
The rising influence of Japanese anime over the years has subsequently led to the west investing more into their own animation. Its relevance and popularity are no longer as limited in the mainstream, with studios like the aforementioned Powerhouse similarly gaining their due respect like anime studios such as Wit, MAPPA, Ufotable, and more.
The upcoming Netflix Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon adaptation, Captain Laserhawk, looks set to have a great studio in the form of up-and-comers Bobbypills. Should Netflix produce a Bloodborne adaptation, it'd likely have a great slate of studios to choose from given the streamer's blossoming relationship with animation. That, and a solid amount of goodwill backing it thanks to the acclaim of the game and positive atmosphere Netflix has created for video game TV shows.
Expand On The Game's Story
Like with fellow FromSoftware games Demon's Souls and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Bloodborne also appears to be a one-off game not meant to expand into a full-blown series like with Dark Souls. Granted, the game works well in its own right like the others as self-contained stories, but a TV series could have the best of both worlds.
FromSoft doesn't need to make a sequel to the game, but in addition to a hypothetical show fleshing out the established story, it could also make way for some original content. Castlevania certainly took its own creative liberties from the timeline of the games as well, so as long as a deft hand is handling the writing then this could be a sort of "Bloodborne 2" in terms of advancing the world's plot and lore.
Creativity In Character/Monster Designs
Games like Dark Souls are also known for fearsome monsters, and Bloodborne in particular threw in some notable Eldritch-horror monstrosities on top of Gothic dark-fantasy. There are plenty of great monster designs to choose from for a show as is, but this is another excellent opportunity to let the animators' creativity go a bit wild in creating some new jaw-dropping abominations.
And the same goes for the "character" designs of the game. The Hunters have their own hauntingly stylish "Victorian-goth" look, and bringing this to an animated TV adaptation could allow for some more liberties to be taken with certain characters. That especially applies with the player/protagonist Hunter, as most of the recent and acclaimed FromSoft games have the player create a "blank canvas" character to use.