Board Thread:Lore Discussion/@comment-5632187-20130119213241/@comment-6003396-20130801003632

The game was mentioned to be a direct sequel by one of the developers (I've linked the interview so many times in these forums, too lazy to do it again.)

In the announcement trailer, the narrator states: "You are of the Undead. Forever without hope, forever without light."

Yes, it was also mentioned by the developers that the game takes place in a very different area than Lordran.

If the player is the firstborn, this would remove the ability to customize gender. An unlikely change.