How BloodRayne Is Being Preserved Without Losing Its Bite

Rayne is one of the most memorable action game heroes from the early 2000s. She’s a unique character – a powerful, rebellious antihero with a touch of old-school pulp appeal – and helped her game stand out with its over-the-top action, supernatural elements, and clever writing. Now, over twenty years after she first appeared, Rayne is making a comeback thanks to Ziggurat Interactive, who are working to bring the game to a new generation of players.

First, talk to me about the BloodRayne series as a whole. What is the current state of the franchise? How were the remasters received, and how do you define its legacy?

Fans still love BloodRayne, and we’re getting inquiries from companies interested in creating new games or other content featuring the character. We’re actively exploring these opportunities to bring Rayne back, especially since there’s a much larger gaming audience now than when she first appeared in the early 2000s.

We were very pleased with how players reacted to the PC remasters of the first two BloodRayne games, called Terminal Cut. The console versions, ReVamped, had some initial technical problems, but we’ve been working with our developers and listening to player feedback to make them better. We also partnered with WayForward to create a refreshed version of BloodRayne: Betrayal, which we titled Fresh Bites to highlight the new voice acting – featuring original cast members Laura Bailey and Troy Baker! Since the Limited Run physical copies were popular, we’re happy to announce that all of these games are now available together as the Definitive Collection on Switch and PS5 through Strictly Limited.

It’s wonderful to see so many fans around the globe still engaged with the Rayne universe! Your creativity – through things like cosplay, preserving old materials, and sharing your passion – inspires us to keep creating new and exciting experiences with Rayne’s stories, both classic and new.

Rayne remains a striking protagonist even decades later. How do you view her place in the pantheon of early-2000s action heroes today?

Rayne holds an important place in the history of action game heroes, falling somewhere between earlier characters and the more recent Bayonetta. The original BloodRayne games initially used Rayne’s attractiveness in their marketing, aiming to boost sales – she was the first video game character to appear in Playboy. However, within the games themselves, Rayne wasn’t simply an object of desire; her sexuality was a source of power. Almost a decade before Bayonetta’s confident and playfully cruel approach to combat, Rayne was already using similar tactics, combining acrobatic moves, a variety of powerful weapons, and supernatural abilities in action-packed adventures around the world.

Laura Bailey voices Rayne in the original games, have there been any conversations with her about coming back? She’s had such a prolific career now!

The original BloodRayne: Betrayal didn’t feature voice acting. We were thrilled that Laura Bailey and Troy Baker returned to play their BloodRayne characters in the Fresh Bites remaster of Betrayal, a project created in partnership between Ziggurat and WayForward. We’ve been impressed with Laura’s work since she first voiced Rayne – across games, tabletop, and other media – and we’d welcome the opportunity to work with her again.

What motivated Ziggurat to bring the BloodRayne trilogy back as the Definitive Collection now, rather than letting it remain a cult classic of its era?

The Definitive Collection brings together the remastered versions of BloodRayne, BloodRayne 2, and BloodRayne: Betrayal that were originally released on consoles in 2021. These games each had their own separate physical releases in North America through Limited Run Games. Now, this collection includes all three remasters in a single physical package, and we’re partnering with Strictly Limited Games, a distributor based in Germany, to make it happen. We’re thrilled to give fans another chance to own these games physically, especially those who missed the Limited Run releases or couldn’t easily order from North America. We’re also happy to be working with Strictly Limited Games, known for their high-quality products, considering the first two BloodRayne games were originally banned from sale in Germany – it feels like a fitting way to preserve the franchise.

From a technical standpoint, what were the biggest challenges in enhancing the original games while still preserving their identity?

Remaking BloodRayne: Betrayal involved some technical hurdles, particularly when increasing the resolution of the game’s art and aiming for smooth performance at 120 frames per second on capable systems. The remaster of both BloodRayne and BloodRayne 2 presented numerous technical difficulties, but most arose from the significant advancements in hardware since the original games were released.

Getting things like cutscenes, conversations, visual effects, and animations to happen at the right moments – and look and feel as smooth as they did in the original game – required a lot of effort. We had to carefully refine these elements and fix many individual issues even after the core systems were functioning properly.

Can you talk about the specific quality-of-life improvements or visual enhancements that players will notice immediately when jumping into the Definitive Collection?

The BloodRayne and BloodRayne 2 games have been visually updated, most noticeably with clearer, higher-resolution cutscenes. You’ll also find improvements like less compressed textures, better reflections, and enhanced effects like fog. BloodRayne Betrayal: Fresh Bites offers even more: smoother gameplay up to 120 frames per second, higher-resolution character sprites, and fully voiced dialogue. Fresh Bites also adjusts the difficulty of some challenging parts, but you can still choose to play with the original difficulty if you prefer.

For players discovering BloodRayne for the first time, what do you think will surprise them most?

The BloodRayne games don’t shy away from over-the-top action – you play as a half-vampire fighting Nazis and monsters – but they’re surprisingly witty and know exactly what they are. Rayne, the protagonist, is a confident and capable fighter. The combat is more diverse than you might think, though it differs between the two main games. The first BloodRayne is a third-person shooter with a good mix of ranged and melee attacks, while the second leans more into melee combat but offers a wider range of projectile options. Throughout all three games in the Definitive Collection, Rayne is incredibly agile, and BloodRayne 2 really lets her shine with fun movement options like grinding on rails and swinging from bars. Be warned: these games are challenging! If you find yourself dying often, remember Rayne’s a vampire – you can always restore your health by draining the blood of your enemies.

Ziggurat has built a reputation around restoring and reintroducing classic PC and console games. What does responsible game preservation mean to you when working on a series like BloodRayne?

How Ziggurat handles preserving older games depends on the specific title and how it’s being re-released. With the BloodRayne series, we were lucky enough to collaborate with the original developers, Terminal Reality and WayForward, to figure out the best way to maintain – and even enhance – their work. Usually, this means keeping the games true to their original form, but allowing them to run with better graphics and performance than the original hardware allowed.

Our goal is to celebrate the original game and everything that made it special, while also appealing to all kinds of players. We want to offer an experience that satisfies those who fondly remember the original, those who want a refreshed version, and those discovering it for the first time.

Were there any moments during development where you uncovered lost content, undocumented systems, or surprising design decisions from the original games?

While working with Terminal Reality on the PC version of Terminal Cuts, we found some strange files included in the original game data that never actually appeared during gameplay – we’re still not sure how they got there! And when we collaborated with WayForward on BloodRayne Betrayal: Fresh Bites, we uncovered some of the game’s hidden secrets. More importantly, the team was able to revisit and improve some of the level designs, making the game less frustrating for players by smoothing out some of the difficulty spikes. However, we also made sure players could still experience the original, challenging levels if they preferred.

Ziggurat has mentioned plans for the future of the franchise. Without giving too much away, how do you see BloodRayne evolving beyond remasters?

Hey everyone, just wanted to let you know we’re working on expanding Rayne’s world beyond just games! Keep an eye on Ziggurat’s social media – we’ve got an exciting announcement coming up soon, and you’ll be the first to know!

Is there a particular era, genre shift, or format—remake, sequel, spin-off, or something else—that you think makes sense for Rayne next?

Vampires, including half-vampires, have always been popular characters in video games, so we believe Rayne would fit well in many future titles. There’s a lot of potential to expand on the original BloodRayne story, considering Rayne’s near-immortality, the ending of BloodRayne 2, and the rich backstory revealed in the first game. This could be through new games that continue the story or spin-offs that explore different aspects of the world. While we’re eager to see Rayne return in a large-scale, modern game, we’re also excited about the possibility of exploring other, smaller-scale projects in the meantime, catering to fans of retro and indie games.

We’re noticing a trend of new games embracing the visual styles of older consoles – those from the fifth and sixth generations. Alongside this, we’re exploring the possibility of creating a game that captures the original’s look and feel, but with the improved features, refined gameplay, and modern design that today’s players appreciate.

2026-02-10 19:17