Castlevania: Nocturne‘s second season released last weekend, and critics and fans are over the moon about it. That’s not surprising; from the very beginning, both the original Castlevania and this spinoff have garnered acclaim for its writing and animation, and for successfully adapting the games to television. This is reflected in the viewership; Netflix hasn’t put out any numbers or milestones, but fans and Powerhouse Animation staff have shared screenshots of the show hitting the top 10 in territories like the United States and the Philippines, which they’re more than proud of.
What is surprising is how, at time of writing, Nocturne‘s future is more unclear than you’d expect. Late last year, Powerhouse said it’d go dark ahead of the second season’s debut as it waited to learn if the show would be renewed, and individuals at the studio have pretty explicitly called on fans to watch the new season. By comparison, Netflix announced renewals for the original Castlevania just days after a season had launched. (Season four, for example, was greenlit a full year ahead of season three’s release.) Whether that series already had a four-season deal locked in, or they were actually just two seasons split across multiple parts, you at least got the impression the streamer saw something in it and wanted to foster that.
By now, Netflix is more than aware that Castlevania is a flagship brand for its animation slate, and that Powerhouse’s name carries some weight. The studio’s proven to be a reliable partner, and these two adaptations have benefitted both studio and streamer. For Powerhouse, the show has let it adapt other properties like Masters of the Universe and Tomb Raider, plus tackle original ventures Seis Manos and Blood of Zeus. Meanwhile, Netflix has managed to use Castlevania’s clout to snag other franchises under its umbrella, from League of Legends to Cyberpunk 2077 and BioShock. Even its general focus on YA and adult animation—Jentry Chau, Big Mouth, and whatever else—and anime can be traced back to how the original Castlevania blew up back in 2017. For an enterprise that’s played such a hand in the new boom of game adaptations, and from a streamer that’s previously franchised out hits right away, the entire situation around Castlevania: Nocturne‘smore than a little odd.
Y’know what else is strange? Konami not responding to the Castlevania hype by not having much of anything game-related on hand. After 2014’s Lords of Shadow 2, the series has basically been on ice, save for recent remasters and crossover expansions with Dead Cells and Vampire Survivors. As Konami’s been getting back into the game development swing with remakes and new games for Silent Hill and Metal Gear Solid, there’s been nothing concrete about its vampiric franchise making a full-on comeback. We know game adaptations bring attention to their source material and lead to people picking up those games, for the first or tenth time. It’s certainly a missed opportunity to not jump on the momentum of these two animated series with a game project, or even an announcement that something’s in the works—fans were clamoring for a new Castlevania game even before the show dropped, so it’s not like Konami was completely in the dark here.
Again, the collective lack of support from both sides of Castlevania is weird when you think about its overall significance. The games were beloved for decades and helped spawn an entire genre that persists to this day, while the shows kicked off the new wave of transmedia enterprises Hollywood is very keen on continuing. Before we know it, that original Netflix series will be a decade old, and it’ll feel wrong for it to have made strides for one medium, but not the one it originated in.
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