Thanks to a LinkedIn profile update, we now know a few things about Konami’s new game, which marks the return of the Castlevania franchise.
Marie Rouzié recently updated her LinkedIn profile, revealing that Evil Empire hired her as a senior narrative writer and designer on Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse. While the information is still fairly general, it does point to a few details about the game’s development timeline and the possible consequences of its story, even if the latter remains broadly described for now. Rouzié previously worked as a narrative designer at Asobo Studio, where she contributed to A Plague Tale: Requiem in 2021, and later served as a narrative and mission designer at Ubisoft on Anno 117: Pax Romana and Assassin’s Creed Shadows.
Evil Empire hired Rouzié in January 2022, which means the game has likely been in development for at least three to four years, predating even the Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania expansion. That lines up neatly with what VGC reported back in October 2021. At the time, the outlet discussed Konami’s internal reorganization, which was intended to support a return to big-budget console and PC development, including Castlevania. If the list is still representative of the final product, the game will feature a main cast of at least 25 characters, including the unnamed protagonist seen in the trailer and Trevor Belmont.
Rouzié’s listed responsibilities included building interactive narrative systems that react to player choices, with particular focus on dialogue systems. Could this mean the game will feature dialogue trees? If so, that would be a first for the Castlevania series and another example of the Igavania style, with heavier RPG mechanics and progression systems. The game will almost certainly include multiple endings, so interactions between characters may also influence how the story plays out. There is also a clear indication that the team was responsible for planning both main and side quests, which suggests side quests tied to NPCs encountered on the map could return, much like in Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin and Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia.
Based on all this, the game sounds genuinely exciting, and we already want to crack the whip again.
