Several days ago, the Dark Souls publishers at Bandai Namco Entertainment released a teaser trailer asking fans to "prepare to dine," which led gamers to wonder if the developer From Software was set to unveil a new project of its own since the tagline is so similar to the "prepare to die" phrase that has frequently been used to promote its notoriously difficult action-RPG series. Nevertheless, it seems as if the studio led by Hidetaka Miyazaki is not ready to reveal any of the games it has in the pipeline just yet, as Bandai Namco Entertainment has announced that the teaser trailer is not related to the Dark Souls developer's work and is a vampire RPG game known as Code Vein.
As described in the latest issue of Japanese publication Famitsu (and as translated by the fine folks at Gematsu), Code Vein is a "dungeon exploration-type, hard action RPG" that is currently in development by the studio at Shift, which is the company behind the God Eater series. Apparently, Code Vein is set in a post-apocalyptic near future, where players will take on the role of super-powered vampires called the Revenant.
Further story details reveal that the Revenant are creatures who have lost most of their memories, as they now live as part of a society called Vein, and they need blood in order to avoid turning into something called a Lost. One of the main features to be found within Code Vein is a "Buddy" system that allows players to bring an AI-controlled companion along with them to explore dungeons and engage in combat using a variety of different swords and melee weapons.
As of writing, Code Vein currently lacks an official release date, and neither Bandai Namco Entertainment nor Shift have piped up to reveal which platforms will support the title, but is said that Unreal Engine 4 is being used for its creation. The companies have stated that the vampire RPG is a Japanese release aiming for a worldwide launch, and that the game will officially be announced on April 20, and it will get a gameplay trailer sometime in early May.
At the moment, Bandai Namco Entertainment has revealed that development on Code Vein is roughly 35% complete, so it's quite likely that a 2018 release is in order. With any luck, though, not only will there eventually be an international release for Code Vein, but also fans will hear about whatever From Software is working on in between then and now as well.
The Dark Souls publisher Bandai Namco Entertainment's vampire RPG project Code Vein is currently without a release date or supported platforms.