Limited Run Games’ plans to bring Castlevania: Rondo of Blood to Western audiences in a new physical release appear to have fallen apart, with reports suggesting that the long-awaited project has been scrapped after more than five years without a release.
Originally announced in 2021, the project was supposed to bring Konami’s beloved Castlevania: Rondo of Blood to the TurboDuo in English for the first time. The original PC Engine CD release launched exclusively in Japan in 1993, making the proposed physical edition particularly exciting for retro gaming enthusiasts who wanted to experience the game on original hardware without having to rely on an untranslated Japanese version.
Unfortunately, there has been very little to show for the announcement since then, and a recent report suggests that the release is no longer happening. According to X user Ben Warner, Limited Run Games privately confirmed to him that the project had been scrapped. Another user has reportedly received similar confirmation through the company’s Discord server, although Limited Run Games has yet to make an official public announcement addressing the situation.
The cancellation is particularly disappointing given that the translation itself had apparently already been completed. Earlier this year, former Limited Run Games co-founder Josh Fairhurst, who departed the company in 2026, addressed the project’s prolonged absence, admitting that he no longer knew why it had not materialized. However, he also revealed that the translated ROM had been completed with assistance from the original fan translation team, who were compensated for their work.
That makes the apparent cancellation all the more frustrating. This wasn’t simply an announcement for a potential localization that never progressed beyond the planning stages. There was reportedly already a completed English version, yet fans have spent years waiting for a release that now appears unlikely to materialize.
Of course, Castlevania: Rondo of Blood hasn’t remained completely inaccessible to Western audiences. The original game has appeared through various releases over the years, including the PlayStation 4’s Castlevania Requiem collection alongside Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. However, Limited Run Games’ proposed TurboDuo edition offered something considerably different: an opportunity to own and play an English-language version of the original release on compatible hardware.
For collectors and enthusiasts interested in preserving the history of classic gaming, that distinction mattered. Unfortunately, unless Limited Run Games eventually provides an explanation or revisits the project, this particular piece of Castlevania history may remain an opportunity that never came to pass.