From Software's Bloodborne will feature shields, Sony Japan Studios has confirmed to IGN.
This follows months of speculation from fans about whether or not the defensive equippment so common in Demon's Souls and the two Dark Souls games would feature, given that shields have not been seen in any gameplay yet.
One of the developers commented that "we wanted to encourage players not to hide and wait, but instead be more aggressive and proactive in battle." Instead of relying on the shield as you could in the Souls games, From Software wants players to use a melee weapon and firearm which, if used correctly, can stun enemies.
If you hang back behind your shield, you're going to die pretty quickly it seems.
Bloodborne will be available on PS4 next month, but you can check out the game's first 18 minutes here.